Bleep

The Bad Fire may burn harsh, but it also burns bright: Mogwai’s eleventh album, which is named after a Scottish colloquialism for Hell, traces the members’ testing personal moments since 2021’s As The Love Continues with serrated yet vibrant and colourful poise for a band in their thirtieth year. Guitars glimmer with radiation and drilling falsetto shreds emerge from the post-rock despondence, resulting in tracks like ‘If You Find This World Bad ...’ marching slowly into oblivion then erupting in defiant thrashes. Patiently stepping into the electric whirlwind, the album quickly finds its groove on ‘God Gets You Back’ with sweeping synth swathes and arpeggios, while ‘Hammer Room’ zips through a pendulum of pianos and snapping, splashing drums.