Almost 40 years after The Jesus & Mary Chain first roared onto the scene with their debut single, 1984's "Upside Down," brothers Jim and William Reid are back with a new single, with a new album and tour promised in the upcoming year, along with an autobiography.
Glasgow Eyes, recorded at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio in Glasgow, is set for release on March 8, 2024. It’s the same locale which proved creatively fruitful for the band when they recorded their previous album, Damage and Joy, in 2017. The as-yet-untitled autobiography will come out later in the year, and while its title and specific release date remain TBD, we can at least confirm that it's being released via Orion Publishing's White Rabbit imprint, home of recent releases from such notable names as The Chemical Brothers, Sly Stone, and Ted Kessler.
The artwork for the upcoming new Jesus & Mary Chain album, 'Glasgow Eyes,' due in March 2024
The press release for Glasgow Eyes described the album as “:a record that finds one of the UK’s most influential groups embracing a productive second chapter, their maelstrom of melody, feedback and controlled chaos now informed more audibly by their love for Suicide and Kraftwerk and a fresh appreciation of the less disciplined attitudes found in jazz.”
Perhaps sensing that the last word in that description might cause some of their fans to twitch, Jim Reid offered a quote to allay their fears:
“But don’t expect ‘the Mary Chain goes jazz.’ People should expect a Jesus and Mary Chain record, and that’s certainly what Glasgow Eyes is. Our creative approach is remarkably the same as it was in 1984, just hit the studio and see what happens. We went in with a bunch of songs and let it take its course. There are no rules, you just do whatever it takes. And there’s a telepathy there - we are those weird not-quite twins that finish each other’s sentences.”
The album’s first single, “jamcod,” definitely confirms that, be they jazz appreciators now or not, The Jesus & Mary Chain still sound very much like The Jesus & Mary Chain.
As noted, the band will also be embarking on a tour of the UK and Europe in the wake of Glasgow Eyes' release, and you can find the tour dates below:
2024 TOUR-DATES
March 22 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
March 25 - Dublin, IE @ Olympia
March 26 - Belfast, UK @ Limelight 1
March 27 - Edinburgh, UK @ Usher Hall
March 30 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
April 2 - Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio
April 3 - Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
April 5 - Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
April 6 - Stockholm, SE @ Munich Brewery
April 7 - Malmo, SE @ Plan B
April 9 - Hamburg, DE @ Markthalle
April 11 - Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
April 12 - Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
April 13 - Paris, FR @ Elysée Montmartre
April 15 - Geneva, CH @ L’Usine
April 16 - Winterthur, CH @ Salzhaus
April 17 - Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
April 19 - Krems, AT @ Donaufestival
April 20 - Heidelberg, DE @ Halle O2
April 21 - Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Festival
April 23 - Brussels, BE @ AB
April 24 - The Hague, NL @ Paard
