'90s Indie Rock Band Releases New Album for the First Time in Five Years
Modest Mouse has finally put out new music for the first time in five years.
The indie rock band released their eighth studio album, An Eraser And A Maze, on Friday, with 15 new tracks. The project was announced back in April, and this is their first LP release with new music since The Golden Casket in 2021. In addition, this is Modern Mouse's first independent release in over two decades, as well as their first album since the death of their founding drummer, Jeremiah Green, in 2022. New members Simon O'Connor, Damon Cox and Keith Karman are also making their debuts.
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An Eraser And A Maze writing and recording sessions were a continuous process from their previous albums, frontman Isaac Brock told The Music on Thursday. Six of the songs from the new album were originally turned in to Epic Records, but they didn't really like them. After further discussion, Modern Mouse decided to part ways with their record label and go independent.
"In a very nice way, we talked to Epic, and were just like, 'You know, we've been on this label for 20-some years, maybe it's just time we parted ways,' and they were really cool about it, meaning not in a 'horror show, major label story' sort of way that you'd expect," Brock recalls. "It was nice. They were like, 'We want nothing but success for you, so if this isn't working, do what you do.' So then they were Modest Mouse songs again, and here we are."
The writing process for An Eraser And A Maze was also very different compared to their previous albums, especially The Golden Casket.
"With [An Eraser And A Maze], we did a lot of classic playing together until something happened that made sense," Brock told Paste Magazine. He also told the publication that he and producers had to restrain themselves from adding extra instruments to a song. "I was doing my best to show a little restraint and be like, 'No, the song's good without me [explicit] write a part. I'd just be writing a part to say I had one.' Instead, I acted like a [explicit] grown-up and was like, 'This is good without that.'"
The lead single for the record, "Look How Far...," was released in March 2026, then followed up by "Picking Dragons' Pockets" a month later, along with the album announcement. In support of the album, the band is currently on a North American tour and making festival appearances at Bonnaroo and Outside Lands this summer. Modern Mouse also teased a fall tour when they made the album announcement.
Modern Mouse was created in Washington in 1993 by Brock, Green and Eric Judy while they were teenagers. They achieved critical acclaim for their earlier albums, The Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon & Antarctica, before finding mainstream success with their singles "Float On" and "Oceans Breathes Salty" on their 2004 album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Brock has been the only consistent member of the band, following Judy's departure in 2012 and Green passing away in 2022. The current members of Modern Mouse are Brock, Russell Higbee, Ben Massarella, O'Connor, Cox and Karman.
With An Eraser And A Maze, it gave Modern Mouse and their fans a chance to reflect on how the group's sound has evolved over the years. Though they have explored different genres and sounds over the past three decades, their mode of operating has always stayed the same.
"As I've gotten older and been in this longer, I don't necessarily have to think too hard about it anymore," Brock reflects at the end of his interview with The Music. "I just let it happen."
An Eraser And A Maze is out now on all streaming platforms.
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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 12:29 PM.