Mogwai: Hardcore 4 Life

“You know what, I’m half asleep,” yawns Stuart Braithwaite. Mogwai’s lead guitarist had best cram in some shuteye while he can; not only are the celebrated Glaswegian force preparing for an album release half-way into the most expansive U.K tour they’ve undertaken in some years, but they’re off to the US, Europe and Japan at the beginning of this month.

Despite this early morning intrusion Braithwaite is surprisingly chipper. And so he should be, given that their boldly titled forthcoming seventh studio release Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will is not only some of the band’s strongest work (“At the moment I definitely think it’s one of our best albums”) but also some of the freshest – adopting a more electronic approach and consciously side-stepping the wall-of-noise they’ve become so synonymous with.

Stuart attributes the shift to writing under the confines of the band’s now scattered locales. “There was a lot of emailing demos over the world,” he explains, “which was different from usual, but I think that was quite good, just for a different process after making six albums pretty much the same way. I think it needed a little bit of new life.”

Only a handful of songs are immediately identifiable as the band that created Young Team back in 1997, but even these were sketchy inclusions. “A few people [in the band] didn’t even want them on the record because they were too obvious,” Braithwaite reasons. “But I think we managed to find a balance between the best songs and those that sounded really different.”

Accordingly, this stylistic progression was accompanied by a nod to the band’s roots from the genesis of Hardcore’s recording, enlisting the services of Young Team producer Paul Savage. “We remained friends with Paul and all the Chemikal Underground people since we left the label,” says Braithwaite.”We hadn’t recorded with Paul since our first album, so a lot had changed. I think that we as a band and Paul as a producer have definitely evolved a lot over that time, but all in a positive way. Even though it felt exactly the same personally, on a professional level it felt like a completely different thing altogether.”

Whilst a new album helmed by Savage – who has worked with other such latter-day home-grown stalwarts as The Twilight Sad and The Phantom Band in the intervening years – rightly stirs anticipation amongst Mogwai’s faithful following, its song titles are already enjoying a celebrity of their own – but Braithwaite lets out a hearty chuckle at the prospect of attributing meaning to any of them. “They’re just nonsense, pretty much: various levels of nonsense. Some of them, John [Cummings, guitar] was just hitting the ‘random’ button on Wikipedia. I think that’s how we got San Pedro and Mexican Grand Prix.” And what of the album title: a critique of the Glasgow punk scene, or perhaps a comment on the longevity of the porn industry? “That was something that James [Hamilton] from Errors’ friend heard a ned say in a shop to a guy who wouldn’t sell him a carryout. Our nation’s delinquents can be quite illuminating sometimes.”

Scotland’s influence on the band can be seen in all aspects of their work, from the playfully deadpan titles, provocative lyrics and dark imagery of their artwork (2001’s Rock Action would go so far as to use an interior shot of Nice ‘n’ Sleazy as the cover). Although the band is now split between New York, Berlin and Glasgow, Braithwaite says Mogwai’s strength still lies in its nationality. “I think there are definite Scottish traits that are quite helpful when you’re in a band. We’re quite independent people, we don’t really like being told what to do and we’re also quite single-minded. But that’s a broad generalisation, I’m sure there’s a lot of Scottish people who are the exact opposite.”

Does this independent outlook help explain the stability of the band’s line-up, almost unchanged in their 15 year career so far? It’s another subject that proves particularly mirthful: “Well, we haven’t fallen out with each other,” Braithwaite offers with another by now signature snicker. “We still enjoy making music and hanging about – I think that’s pretty much the secret. Especially if you’re in a band, you spend a lot of time together; it’s quite important that they’re people you like and share a good musical relationship with.”

This simple approach has taken the band from humble beginnings (“[Mogwai’s first show] was at the old 13th Note, I remember it fondly. I’m sure we were rubbish but it was a good night”) to international recognition. Importantly, Braithwaite suggests that the attitude of the vibrant scene that initially fostered their talent has endured. “The music community in Glasgow was always helpful when we were starting out. I think people are really supportive of each other, and it’s not so much of a competition. It’s more ‘what can we do to make things better?’ rather than ‘what can I do, or what can my band do to make things better for myself?’ I think that’s still as strong as ever.”

Mogwai used their own money, sweat and ingenuity to continue this tradition by founding Rock Action records, originally a vehicle to release their own output but now a springboard to distribute work by international artists that they feel deserve their attention, as well as a clutch of innovative Scottish acts like Remember Remember and Errors – both of whom have joined the band on various dates of their tour. With Hardcore’s impending release on Rock Action – in conjunction with the seminal Sub Pop records in the U.S – are Mogwai enjoying the novelty of bossing themselves about? “It’s a lot more work,” admits Braithwaite, “but it’s good. I wouldn’t say I’m a control freak, but I like to be involved as much as possible and when it’s happening like this we’re very, very involved. I think it’s a good thing. I encourage every band to do it.”

To have this level of dedication to music takes unique minds with true passion – Braithwaite can pinpoint the moment it all began for him. “I remember the first time I heard Heroin by The Velvet Underground, that it was something very different and powerful – it wasn’t just music to be pretty. I remember that quite vividly, it had a profound effect.”

Given the level of devotion that Mogwai have inspired amongst fans and modern Scotland’s music scene, one hopes a new generation of young musicians will be saying the same of Christmas Steps. “I think we’ve had more of an influence than anyone could’ve imagined,” Braithwaite opines of their legacy so far. “I suppose we’ve got to be pretty happy about that."