The Jesus and Mary Chain announce new album ‘Damage and Joy’

Get gazing at your favourite shoes - The Jesus and Mary Chain have announced their first album in a whopping eighteen years! ‘Damage and Joy’ is out on 24th March, via ADA/Warner Music, complete with a lovely alphabet spaghetti cover.

It’ll be the first new music from the band since 1998’s ‘Munki’. Produced by Youth - who has worked with the likes of The Sugarcubes, James, U2, and cultural iconoclast Dido - ‘Damage and Joy’ also features touring drummer Brian Young and former Lush bassist Phil King. Youth also plays bass on the album besides manning the desk.

Plans for a new Jesus and Mary Chain album have been afoot since the band took ‘Psychocandy’ out on tour for it’s thirtieth anniversary. Recording began last October, and speaking to DIY, the band’s Jim Reid said “We’ve talked about [doing another album] for quite a long time now, and we’ve argued about for quite a long time now, but we finally seem to be talking the same language.”

The first preview of the new album - titled ‘Amputation’ - is also out in the world; it’s a sparse, fuzz-laden offering.