Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have released their 18th studio album Wild God today, Aug. 30, marking the band’s first new album since 2019’s Ghosteen.
Wild God features contributions from The Bad Seeds’ core members, along with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass and Luis Almau on nylon string and acoustic guitars. The ten-track project was produced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, with recording sessions taking place at Miraval Studios in Provence, France, and Soundtree Studios in London.
“Frogs,” one of the singles from Wild God, features the first lines Cave penned for the album, referencing the biblical story of Cain and Abel: “Ushering in the week he knelt down and crushed his brother’s head in with a bone/It’s my great privilege to walk you home.” The multi-award-winning artist explained of the single, “The sheer exuberance of a song like ‘Frogs,’ it just puts a big f—ing smile on my face.”
Discussing the band’s latest offering, Cave shared, “I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious.”
“There is never a master plan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”
The album is described as a departure from the somber tone of previous works, with Cave noting, “Wild God… There’s no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.”
Nick Cave, an ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, has made a notable impact on the Billboard 200 with albums like Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen. In the U.K., his adopted homeland, Cave has firmly established himself as an alternative rock superstar, achieving seven top 10 albums, according to the Official Charts Company.
The album is now available for streaming on all major platforms, as well as in CD and vinyl formats.
Tracklist for Wild God:
Song of the Lake
Wild God
Frogs
Joy
Final Rescue Attempt
Conversion
Cinnamon Horses
Long Dark Night
O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)
As the Waters Cover the Sea
Listen to Wild God below.