When Iggy Pop sings "There's a new toad in the road" it almost doesn't matter at all who's playing behind him. Still, for all that makes Iggy a legend, and his voice a distinctive and enduring treasure, the band behind him is the fairly legendary Mogwai. The Glasgow outfit are celebrating their first 30 years together with this new track ahead of a new compilation.
"Underground" is both sinister and funny. Atop guitars and supple Eighties-ish keyboards, Iggy Pop croons his acerbic lyrics. There's both sadness and menace in this one and in Iggy's words and delivery. The marriage of Iggy Pop and Mogwai makes perfect sense when you play "Underground" and you can only think, "Wow, why didn't these folks collaborate before!?" Iggy's vocal arrangements from Matt Sweeney (Chavez, The Hard Quartet) only add to the charms of this track.
This new track is the first single from Happy Tears, Mogwai's new compilation of material from the past 30 years of their career. You can see the track listing and details via the links below.
For now, let's give ourselves over to Mr. James Osterberg and the finest mostly-instrumental rock band to emerge from Glasgow in the last 30 years.
"Underground" by Mogwai feat. Iggy Pop is out now. Happy Tears will be out on January 8. Details on the track listing via the pre-order link.
[Photo: Steve Gullick, 2026]