SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE MISSION ANNOUNCE THEIR BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘SONGS FOR KITH & KIN’ TO BE RELEASED ON APRIL 2 VIA COOKING VINYL

THE MISSION ANNOUNCE THEIR BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM SONGS FOR KITH & KIN TO BE RELEASED ON APRIL 2 VIA COOKING VINYL

THE FIRST SINGLE “KINDNESS IS A WEAPON” OUT NOW

The Mission, one of the most successful and influential British rock bands of the 80s, return with their first new studio album in over a decade next April, with the hugely anticipated release of Songs For Kith And Kin. Originally planned for 2025, its creation was delayed by lead singer Wayne Hussey having open-heart surgery, and that experience along with his recuperation, has shaped the nature of the new music.

“It’s definitely had an influence lyrically: almost every song mentions ‘heart’. Really, the surgery has made me care even less what others think. I’m doing what I want to do in the new songs, what feels natural,” he reveals. And listening to the album it’s apparent that Songs For Kith And Kin is truly special and undoubtedly one of the greatest records the band have made over the course of their 40-year career.

Huge in scope and sound, it not only recalls the grandeur of early, global hit albums such as Children and Carved In Sand, but has the wisdom and stateliness that comes with experience and a renewed zest for life. Both elements are writ large in the first single from the album, the anthemic ‘Kindness Is A Weapon’, which features the chiming, gliding guitars the band are renowned for, a huge chorus with hooks aplenty, a driving rhythm section and Wayne’s unmistakeable vocals. It’s an instant Mission classic.

“On previous records, there’s always been one track I’ve always thought, yeah, this screams out to be the first single. You think about ‘Wasteland’, you think about ‘Tower of Strength’, or ‘Butterfly on a Wheel’, these songs scream first single. And I didn’t have that feeling on this record about a first single because there’s maybe 7 or 8 singles that could come from this album,” reveals Wayne when talking about the choice of ‘Kindness Is A Weapon’ as the first single.

“However, we had been playing a version of this song live for about six months before we had to take the hiatus for my surgery, so some of our audience already knew it. I’d come up with the title first, but I was writing new lyrics for it up until the final recording in June this year. You can use kindness as a weapon for good, and you have to let things go at some point. Musically it’s got plenty of elements of classic Mission about it, but there’s elements of classic rock too. It maybe pushes the envelope a little bit for us in terms of sound, but at the same time, it’s also in keeping with what we’ve done in the past. There’s plenty of testosterone in that track.”

From the opening soundscapes of ‘Kith And Kin’ which kicks off the album in epic style, through the diverse musical adventures the 15 track double album weaves, until its beautiful and deeply moving conclusion with the poignant ‘The Last Leaf On The Tree’, Songs For Kith And Kin is a tour de force. At its heart it is a modern guitar album where, despite the inclusion of various other instruments – including keyboards, cinematic orchestral scores, sitar, tamboura and more – the core sound is two guitars working with one another.

“There’s a chemistry with us that clicks and immediately sounds like The Mission. Being in the studio together makes it very apparent. The funny thing is, I remember noticing that chemistry right back in our first rehearsals in 1985,” comments lead guitarist Simon Hinkler. “Wayne and I have complementary styles that are very different around the edges and meet somewhere in the middle. People have observed that, when we both play the same guitar line simultaneously, something special happens. And there’s a thread that runs through Mission work over the years that makes what we do recognisable. It’s a good thing to have – so many bands don’t.”

The album includes Craig Adams on bass – Hussey’s musical partner since their days in The Sisters of Mercy in the early 80s – as well as featuring the debut on record of Alex Baum, The Mission’s drummer since 2022, who Hinkler credits with bringing an energy and vitality to the band. Baum is also co-writer on the astounding ‘Roll With The Punches’, which closes side two of the album.

Recorded by César Lamschtein at Faro House Studios in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay with additional orchestra recordings in Montevideo, the whole album has been produced by Wayne Hussey and shows The Mission at the peak of their powers.

Flowing from the uptempo, visceral likes of ‘Operation Chaos’ and ‘Arrhythmia’, through the dramatic state-of-the-world scenarios that inhabit ‘Circle The Wagons’ and ‘Heavy (Is The Crown)’, to the more reflective and romantic emotions that unfurl towards the second half of the album on songs such as ‘Diving For Pearls’, ‘A Soft Place To Fall’ and ‘My Very Favourite Life’, Songs For Kith And Kin feels both powerful and important.

“I wanted to have an arc to the record,” explains Hussey. “It starts off as being current, about my health and physical well-being and also the wider situation in the world today. I’ve never really been a political writer but a couple of the new songs are politically motivated. There’s a lot going on in the world that bothers the soul. It’s hard to ignore it all, so it’s bound to seep into the music. But I’m an optimistic person. I do believe that humans are generally inherently good, and the album moves to family and to where home is. Friends and family are so important in our lives.”

It’s that sweep of emotion – both musically and lyrically – that places the new album at the very top of The Mission’s storied career. Songs For Kith And Kin is the sound of a band stepping back into the light with not only an unshakeable faith in their much-talked about past, but a confidence and belief in the music they are making today. It is quite simply a masterpiece.

The Mission
Songs For Kith & Kin
(Cooking Vinyl)
Release Date: April 2, 2027

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Background Photo Credit: Simon Drake