In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Scottish sibling rock duo the Jesus and Mary Chain will release a new album, Glasgow Eyes, on March 8 via Fuzz Club. It’s Jim and William Reid’s second full-length since reuniting in 2007 after a nine-year break and the follow-up to 2017’s Damage and Joy, which was a top 20 hit on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
The first taste of music from Glasgow Eyes is “jamcod,” a classic Mary Chain rocker built on its trademark jagged guitar blasts and flecked with electronic noise. The project was recorded in Glasgow at the band Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio and is, according to a press release, “informed more audibly by their love for Suicide and Kraftwerk and a fresh appreciation of the less disciplined attitudes found in jazz.”
“But don’t expect ‘the Mary Chain goes jazz,'” warns Jim Reid. “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.”
Fresh off a short run of European shows earlier this month, the Jesus and Mary Chain will support Glasgow Eyes with a spring tour, beginning March 22 in Manchester, U.K. The Reid brothers’ as-yet-untitled autobiography will also be released at some point next year by Orion/White Rabbit.
Despite its on-again/off-again history, the group continues to entice younger fans. In 2022, it was joined by Phoebe Bridgers at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival to provide the female vocal part on its 1985 hit “Just Like Honey,” a guest spot previously undertaken by actress Scarlett Johansson at the 2007 Coachella festival.
Here are the Jesus and Mary Chain’s 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
