The Jesus and Mary Chain’s return with “jamcod” established a fresh wave of momentum ahead of the March 8th release of their new album Glasgow Eyes via Fuzz Club. Bringing long-term fans back into the fold and introducing their influential sound to a whole new audience, the track was premiered by Huw Stephens at 6 Music where it was also playlisted, while key streaming support included Spotify’s Shoegaze Now and Tidal’s Hot Rocks. Their return was highlighted by a broad range of editorial coverage, including Clash, Louder Than War, NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Spin, The Line of Best Fit, The Quietus and Uncut.
Now The Jesus and Mary Chain keep that momentum racing into 2024 – remarkably their 40th anniversary year – as they share the brand new single “Chemical Animal.”
Setting a mood of dense, ominous foreboding, “Chemical Animal” is a dark, oppressive comedown of a track – a tone that’s entirely in tune with the song’s haunted, claustrophobic lyrics. While “jamcod” reflected upon the band’s infamous 1998 show at the House of Blues in Los Angeles which led to their initial break-up, “Chemical Animal” also looks back to the ghosts of their past for inspiration.
Jim Reid says, “Our work on our autobiography definitely bled into our work on the album. “jamcod,” the first single from the album, was about that night in 1998 in the House of Blues when the band broke up. “Chemical Animal” is different but related. I was thinking back to those dark days of chemical dependency. When you fall so deep into that hole that everything you do is by instinct. The drugs are the driving force. The thing that gets you from a to b is whether you can score. It was a horrible way to live and I’m thankful I don’t live that way any more. One effect is that it made me
aware of how our brains, who we are, how we feel, and what we do, depend on our neural chemistry, a chemistry beyond our control. It’s a biological curse we can’t escape.”
Glasgow Eyes is available to pre-order HERE. Featuring artwork by William Reid, limited edition physical formats include double coloured vinyl (1000 copies), double black vinyl (500 copies) and single splatter vinyl (1000 copies). All 200 white labels (100 each of single and double vinyl editions) have already sold-out.
This year will see The Jesus and Mary Chain embark upon an extensive tour of the UK, Ireland and Europe which commences in March. Strong demand for tickets has seen additional shows added in both London and Manchester after the initial dates rapidly sold-out. Remaining tickets for the dates, listed below, are available HERE. Their festival plans for 2024 are also taking shape, with Festival Tomavistas (Spain), Paredes De Coura (Portugal) and Cruel World (USA) already confirmed.
