Desert Living Inspired Singer-Guitarist Bob Mould’s Latest Effort

Singer-guitarist Bob Mould’s resume features the indie/alternative acts Husker Du and Sugar. But for the past two decades, Mould has actively pursued a solo career. His new studio album, Here We Go Crazy, represents his 15th solo effort and first full-length new album in more than four years. In a recent phone call, Mould, who was on hour five of a day of press, speaks about the inspiration for the release and the current tour that finds him performing with drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy

This is your first new studio album in four years. What made it a difficult one to finish?

I was busy not touring and not getting any feedback on my songs from an audience. The year 2020 was when the world stopped, and I was out of my day job. My life is like a series of repeated cycles. I write a record, I record a record, I wait for a bit. The record comes out, and people like you write about it. The last step is taking it out on stage and integrating with the soundbook. That’s where I get to see if I did my job right. I didn’t have that for two years, and it stunted the writing. In 2022, when I got back solo electric, I was bringing a handful of these songs out. People were responding well. I kept writing. This was recorded at the beginning of 2024. That’s the backstory on how it took so long.

You said the Southern California desert inspired it. What’s the story there?

San Francisco has been home for 15 years. For the three-and-a-half years before the pandemic, my now-husband and I were going back forth between San Francisco and Berlin, Germany. We could not go back in 2020, so that part of life ended abruptly. We started roadtripping down to the desert. We enjoyed the open space and found a little place to hang. Right now, it’s back and forth between San Francisco and the desert. There’s a lot of inspiration. A lot of the record, especially the title track, is trying to describe the vibe: the time and the place and the open sky and that it’s a gay friendly place to live. It’s very quiet and unlike my normal life, whether it was New York or D.C. or or San Francisco or Berlin. It takes getting used to, but it had a big impact on this record. I’m in Palm Springs. The low desert is so different from the high desert. The landscape is different up there and up in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree, there are a lot of young artists. It’s a hip scene up there. The low valley is what it is. It’s gay retirement and the Coachella festival.

That opening title track features a nice balance of noisy guitars and tender vocals.

When in doubt, take the song that sets the stage for everything else and put it first You can also name the album after it. I’ve done this before, and I think about the song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” You hear the band tune up and the crowd and fanfare. It’s like, “Here is where we are and the characters you are about to see.” It’s trying to paint a little bit of a visual picture of what it’s like in the desert these days and a nice easy way for people to enter the records.

The title speaks to our times.

Unfortunately. I got lucky with that one.

I like the intensity of “Hard To Get.” Did something specific inspire it?

That’s just me trying to be a clever pop song writer. It’s like the Fifth Dimension or even some Jimmy Webb stuff. I try to turn bits of phrases inside out. It has the tiniest amounts of ornamentation. I sing that the third time is the charm, and you hear the three door bells chime. It’s stuff like that.  

“Fur Mink Augurs” has that similar intensity. What is the reference?

I don’t know. I must have been high. I think I said it in the car and I laughed. Then, I remembered it and thought what would it mean. It was cold in Minnesota and it was a long winter. In life, we’re on a road and then we take an emotional turn. Then you go, “How the fuck did I end up here?” in a bad way. That’s a lot of that stuff in the song. It’s a darker song. There’s broken glass and ambulances.

Is “You Need To Shine” directed at anyone in particular?

That’s the beginning of Act 3. The first three are about uncertainty, and the next three are pretty low and dark. For the last three, I tried to give a happy ending. It’s written for somebody really close to me. The idea is that music is therapy. Music and lift us all up. It’s about how music can lift us up. Do what you do. It’s your time to shine. It’s a real simple idea. It’s nothing too heavy. Just trying to lift things up.

“Your Side” makes for such a great album closer.

Well, I thought “Thread So Thin” was going to close. It was like that big epic closer that I’ve written before. That’s the closer but not actually. The album has the trick ending and goes from a tender heartfelt ballad to fucking [Cheap Trick’s] “Surrender.” It’s like, “Oh God, it’s the summer of 1981.” It’s good. I like it. It’s very Minneapolis sound.

You recorded at Chicago, IL’s Electrical Audio in early 2024 and then finished and mixed it at Oakland, CA’s Tiny Telephone with longtime engineer Beau Sorenson. Talk about that.

It’s the late Steve Albini’s studio and gift to the world. He built this incredible cathedral in the spirit of documenting music and creativity. I have worked there many times. I love going back to the room. The studio is built to handle loud music. There are dormitories on site. You can stay there for a week. It’s built to serve the music. I look forward to going back there in the future. It’s up and running and doing as good as ever. We all miss Steve terribly. He gave us a great place to work and his own great music. He was never shy about sharing his opinions about the state of the business. If young artists coming up in the ’90s listened to his advice, they probably had good careers. If they didn’t, they probably got chewed up by the machine and spit out by the side of the road.

Talk about what it’s like to look back at such a stellar career.

As a pre-teen, music was what kept me alive. It was everything in my life. As a teenager, music morphed into something different. When Husker Du started, and we got a head of steam, we thought we were the best band in the world. Arguably, we were. In my twenties, I seriously doubted I would live past 30. When I did, I realized this was my life and that I need to start taking care of myself to have a long life in music. It is everything to me. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up. I think about what I am going to do with music. I don’t take anything for granted. I do what I can to stay in physical shape. I am grateful that anyone is still listening. It is so exciting when we as a band have a moment like we did on Fallon and we walk in and nail it. It’s like, “Yes, this is still a fucking blast.” It’s still hard work. As I get older and it’s the fourth quarter, I get a kick out of it. I believe that music can change the world. I watched the Sly Stone documentary the other night. If anyone needs proof that music can change the world, watch that documentary.

TOUR 2025

APRIL

1 – San Diego, CA – Music Box

2 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s

4 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom

5 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore

7 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre

8 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

9 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory

11 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater

12 – Fort Collins, CO – Washington’s

14 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room

15 – Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow Barn

16 – Madison WI – Majestic Theatre

18 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall

19 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre

25 – Chicago, IL – Metro

26 – Chicago, IL – Metro

27 – Detroit, MI – El Club

29 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop

30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre

MAY

2 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club

3 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge

4 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer

7 – Washington DC – Black Cat

9 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall

10 – Indianapolis, IN – HI–FI Indy

11 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Beer Garden