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Jun 04, 2026 Web Exclusive By Matt the Raven

Perhaps not as immediately fresh and groovy as the breakthrough commercial successes of Good News For People Who Love Bad News or We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse’s latest effort, An Eraser and a Maze, still offers plenty of music that is instantly alluring. But as is customary for an Isaac Brock production, it is a demanding record. It requires—and vastly rewards—repeated plays to fully absorb and appreciate its mammoth scope and wildly diverse sonic nature.

It is more than just an ice cream party at Brock’s house; it is a veritable sundae of an album. The record delivers a smorgasbord of flavors echoing the clattering, restless sounds from the band’s sprawling past catalog, but tops it with a heavy dollop of sonic whipped cream and a cherry in the form of jagged, chaotic, and deeply melodic art rock. This chaotic sweetness is vividly heard on standout tracks “Rotten Fruit,” “Life’s a Dream,” and “Speak N’ Spell (Or Not).” While these compositions remain firmly rooted in the Pacific Northwest guitar rock tradition that the band helped define, they continuously pull from a bizarre, patchwork quilt of outside genres, ultimately constructing a gloriously fun junkyard symphony.

Elsewhere, longtime fans will find themselves well catered to. The introspective, peculiar, and delightfully frazzled rock of their earlier releases can be heard bleeding through on “I Can’t Talk Right Now” and “Dogbed In Heaven / Give It a Skeleton.” Conversely, “Third Side of the Moon,” “Impossible Somedays,” and the razor-sharp lead single “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” borrow heavily from the shiny, polished indie-pop sensibilities that graced Good News For People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. These tracks boast massive hooks and gleaming production, proving the band haven’t lost their knack for crafting a wildly infectious earworm out of existential dread.

Always a band looking to push the envelope and explore uncharted sounds and ideas, Modest Mouse also make ample room for glorious weirdness. The record features the insane absurdity and almost danceable rhythm of “Song About Nothing,” a stomping track that plays out like a ramshackle, drunken anthem you simply cannot help but sing along to. Guiding this ship through the storm is Brock, who sings with his usual caustic passion and fortitude. His vocal delivery remains as wildly elastic as ever, exploring a multitude of themes with lyrics that pivot effortlessly between being cleverly cynical, occasionally cloying, but always profoundly entertaining.

In the end, An Eraser and a Maze is a dense, challenging, and highly rewarding listen. It is a record that is at times anxious, claustrophobic, and deliberately rough around the edges. Yet, amidst the manic energy and junkyard clatter, it always leaves the door propped open for a moment of unexpected, heartbreaking beauty for those willing to take a bite. (www.modestmouse.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10