Modest Mouse – An Eraser and a Maze

Modest Mouse – An Eraser and a Maze

After five years away from the album format, Modest Mouse return with An Eraser and a Maze, a restless, unpredictable record that brings together nearly every side of the band's musical identity. From the jagged guitar work and frenetic rhythms of their early records to the atmospheric experimentation of their later releases, this album feels like a journey through the band's entire history.

The record also marks a major change behind the scenes: it's Modest Mouse's first independent release since 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, ending their more than two-decade relationship with Epic Records. Released through frontman Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace Recordings, the album follows 2021's The Golden Casket.

Interestingly, the project originally began as an EP intended for Brock's side project, Ugly Casanova, before he decided to expand it into a full Modest Mouse album. That instinct-first approach gives the record an intentionally unpredictable character, moving between explosive indie rock, strange electronic textures, stripped-down acoustic passages and moments of dark humor.

There is also a more personal undercurrent running through the album. “Third Side of the Moon” reflects on the death of longtime drummer Jeremiah Green, who passed away in December 2022. Meanwhile, “Remember Yourself” explores mortality and family, offering a more tender side of Brock's songwriting.

Track Listing

Side A

  1. Picking Dragons' Pockets – 4:36

  2. Remember Yourself – 4:11

  3. Life's a Dream – 5:31

  4. Third Side of the Moon – 4:27

Side B
5. Dogbed in Heaven / Give It a Skeleton – 4:52
6. Interlude – 0:27
7. I Can't Talk Right Now – 4:14
8. Speak 'N Spell (Or Not) – 3:08

Side C
9. Rotten Fruit (feat. pkpkpkpk) – 2:59
10. Knocked Down by Waves – 1:15
11. Absolutely Necessary Never – 3:54
12. Song About Nothing – 2:14

Side D
13. Stoner Party – 0:34
14. Look How Far... – 1:55
15. Impossible Somedays – 4:37