James Mercer confirms he’s working on a new album for The Shins
In a new interview, James Mercer has confirmed that he’s working on a new collection of tracks, which will most likely be another album for the widely influential indie rock band The Shins — their first since 2017.
Mercer confirmed he was working on new music in a conversation with Consequence. He also revealed that he’s got at least 17 tracks for the new project, which he didn’t disclose the name of.
“September, I’m going to buckle down,” Mercer said. “I’ve got a bunch of songs. I think it was 17 songs that are partially-recorded already. So, I’m always working on something. I’m always fiddling with the guitar and searching for those moments, you know? So, I’ve got a bunch of stuff. And I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll start in September, and I’ll do another Shins record.”
The Shins formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. Their last album was 2017’s Heartworms, only their fifth to date. Last year, they celebrated the 21st anniversary of their 2001 debut, Oh, Inverted World, by embarking on a lengthy tour. Earlier this year, they also announced a celebration for the 20th birthday of their second record, Chutes Too Narrow.
Elsewhere in the interview, which gave more insight into The Shins’ best-loved songs ‘New Slang’ and ‘Phantom Limb’, Mercer reflected on the death of the group’s former bassist Neal Langford, who died in July.
Discussing the latter – which is about a lesbian couple – Mercer explained: “Neal Langford, the guy that got me on stage and everything — he had struggled his whole life because he was closeted, and I think it really hurt him. So, I was very sensitive to that issue, I guess, because of that.”
“After Oh, Inverted World, he had kind of spiralled into addiction stuff,” he continued. “And, um… I’m sorry, it’s, uh, but he had just really struggled, so that was there, you know? It’s just so recent. But it’s just… he struggled for a long time, and we always were trying to turn it around, but you know it just didn’t happen, I guess.”
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