Arab Strap preview new album with third single "Here Comes Comus!"
Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat have returned with their first Arab Strap single of 2021, "Here Comes Comus!", which will appear on their first album in 16 years As Days Get Dark.
"Here Comes Comus!" follows last year's "Compersion Pt. 1" and "The Turning of Our Bones" singles, and is accompanied by a dark video directed by Bryan M. Ferguson.
Moffatt says of their latest outing, "It's a song about the god of nocturnal excess and my inability to ever refuse him. It takes place in a pub, a club, and city alleyways, all the places I'd hoped we'd be able to enjoy again by now – but it's been so long since I've had a big night out that listening to it now seems almost nostalgic. He still pops round to see me at home now and again, but I know he's holding back and planning for the future, and one day soon we'll dance again."
As Days Get Dark will be the first Arab Strap album since 2005's The Last Romance. Moffatt says of the upcoming LP, "It's about hopelessness and darkness. But in a fun way." He continues, "This album feels like its own new thing to me. It's definitely Arab Strap, but an older and wiser one, and quite probably a better one."
The album saw the duo reunite with producer Paul Savage (Mogwai, The Twilight Sad), who co-produced The Last Romance. Middleton says of working with Savage, "Paul brings comfort and trust, and a sense of continuity."
Moffatt adds of their new material, "I've never been interested in making slick records, but the new stuff sounds much fuller, brighter and better because we actually know what we're doing. I think for a long time we didn't know how to express what we wanted in a studio."
Speaking about their reunion, Middleton says, "We've had enough distance from our earlier work to reappraise and dissect the good and bad elements of what we did. Not many bands get to do this, so it's great to split up."
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