Arab Strap

Arab Strap's music features frank, unflinching spoken/sung narratives backed by drum machines, electronic loops, and sparse guitar melodies. A major part of the Glasgow music scene that spawned Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai, they were among Scotland's most acclaimed bands of the 1990s and 2000s. Centred around the duo of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, the group's sound became richer and more ambitious as they toured and collaborated with additional musicians. While early albums such as the 1998 breakthrough Philophobia were sparse and sombre, the band's music became slightly more optimistic with 2001's The Red Thread. With 2005’s The Last Romance the band announced it would be their final album. Both members became highly prolific and acclaimed solo artists, and following reunion gigs during the 2010s, Arab Strap decided to return As Days Get Dark, in 2021 followed by I'm totally fine with it 👍don't give a fuck anymore 👍earlier this year.

I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍

“As soon as we started this it felt like album two,” says Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap’s 8th LP. “It definitely feels like a fresh start from where we used to be.”

Almost 28 years after their debut, Arab Strap have never sounded more essential, and this new record is a fierce testament to their laser focus on wider horizons. Written and performed exclusively by Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat, and finessed with longtime collaborator Paul Savage, the album furthers the band’s transformation from swooning, slow-core romantics to raging, alt-pop chroniclers.

I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍 may sound like the title of an album by a band giving up (it’s just a text from the band’s live drummer Moffat thought was funny) but in reality, it’s an album that stands to clearly define a new creative period for Arab Strap.