Mogwai and Iggy Pop Team Up
Thirty years of noise. Three decades of pure sonic assault. Mogwai is marking this monumental milestone with a career-spanning compilation, Happy Tears, set to arrive on January 8, 2027, via Rock Action Records. This collection doesn’t just package decades of Mogwai brilliance; it launches a deep, unsettling collaboration with one of rock’s most iconic figures, Iggy Pop, introducing the world to the raw, unbridled energy of two generations of boundary-pushing artists.
The project is headlined by the explosive new single, “Underground,” a track that fuses Mogwai’s signature intensity with Pop’s unique vision. This pairing speaks to a shared musical lineage, one forged in the crucible of music that dared to be anything but safe. For Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, this connection is deeply personal. He recalls that his own discovery of Iggy Pop and the Stooges was a formative experience, describing those early works as “druggy, dumb and completely primal.”
Braithwaite found a profound resonance in the raw energy of the music he discovered. He reflected that hearing The Stooges had been a life-changing moment, noting that the spectacle of Iggy Pop’s live performances, coupled with his voice and songs, captured something elemental. Pop himself found kinship with Mogwai, noting that the opening of “Underground” reminded him of a crushing modern loneliness, feeling like music made for those who are “pissed off and don’t mind saying so.”
Happy Tears serves as a comprehensive retrospective, pulling together highlights and rarities from across Mogwai’s catalog. Beyond the core collection, the expanded four-LP edition features an additional 13 tracks, including six previously unreleased recordings, two remixes, two live tracks, and three rarities, deepening the dive into the band’s history.
A notable inclusion in the compilation is a newly reworked version of “New Paths to Helicon 1.” This track boasts a stunning orchestral reimagining, featuring the Budapest Art Orchestra and the masterful orchestration of Adam Wiltzie of A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Stars of the Lid.
To further illuminate the band’s journey, Mogwai has collaborated with creative studio Cup & Nuzzle to create Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai. This feature-length audio documentary tells the band’s narrative in their own words, narrated by Cup & Nuzzle founder and BBC 6 Music presenter Matt Everitt. This immersive history is available alongside the compilation in the deluxe Happy Tears bundle, or as a standalone download.
As the compilation prepares to drop, Mogwai is also gearing up for a return to the road, with European dates scheduled for November, including two highly anticipated hometown shows at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. It is a celebration of noise, history, and the enduring power of music that refuses to play it safe.
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