ARAB stRaP - I’M TOTALLY FINE WITH IT DON’T GIVE A FUCK ANYMORE - ROCK ACTION

Almost 28 years after their debut, Arab Strap have never sounded more essential, and this new record is a fierce testament to their laser focus on wider horizons. Written and performed exclusively by Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat, and finessed with longtime collaborator Paul Savage, the album furthers the band’s transformation from swooning, slow-core romantics to raging, alt-pop chroniclers.

"I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore " may sound like the title of an album by a band giving up (it’s just a text from the band’s live drummer that Moffat thought was funny), but in reality it’s an album that stands to clearly define a new creative period for Arab Strap. With the band having recently wrapped up a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1998 album Philophobia, this new album feels charged by a desire to move forward and explore new terrain. “The tour’s been fun, but I’ll be glad it’s over so we can move on,” laughs Middleton, while Moffat echoes him. “The Philophobia gigs have been a way of saying goodbye to the old us,” he says. “It was a very gentle, quiet tour, so I expect this year we'll just be playing banger after banger – I think we've earned the right to make some noise now.”