Dinosaur Jr. formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984 around the core lineup of J Mascis on guitar and vocals, Lou Barlow on bass and vocals, and Murph on drums. Across their early SST and major-label years, the band turned massive guitar volume, loose-limbed melodies, and punk-damaged noise into a blueprint for generations of indie and alternative rock bands.
After reuniting in the 2000s, the original trio built a second run that has become nearly as central to the band’s story as the first. Their Jagjaguwar-era records keep the same tension at the center of Dinosaur Jr.: Mascis’ skywriting solos and deadpan hooks, Barlow’s melodic counterweight, and Murph’s hard-swinging drums pushing the whole thing forward.
The band’s latest album, There Near, is out August 28 via Jagjaguwar. Recorded in short, intense bursts at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio, the record features the core trio with additional piano and organ from Ken Mauri, and is led by the single “Several Got Away.”
Dinosaur Jr. have announced their new album There Near, out August 28 via Jagjaguwar. Alongside the announcement, the Amherst alt-rock lifers have shared the record’s lead single, “Several Got Away,” with an official video directed by Guy Kozak.
There Near marks the sixth studio album Dinosaur Jr. have made since their reunion run began, and follows 2021’s Sweep It Into Space. The new record was created in short, intense bursts over the course of a year at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio, with the core trio of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph joined by Ken Mauri on piano and organ.
Kozak says the “Several Got Away” video was built around a loose, tongue-in-cheek “backyard movie” feel, pulling inspiration from Henry Darger imagery and rapture-level weirdness. It fits the band’s long-running video language: playful, strange, and just a little fried around the edges.
There Near is available to pre-order now. Watch the “Several Got Away” video and stream the single below.
Dinosaur Jr. have released their thirteenth studio album, There Near, today via Jagjaguwar. It’s one of the band’s strongest records in years, leaning hard into the sound that made their ’90s run so enduring: huge, fuzzed-out J Mascis guitars, Lou Barlow and Murph locking into a loose but powerful rhythm section, and big melodic hooks buried inside all that volume.
Recorded largely by the core trio at Bisquiteen Studio in Amherst, the album was made in short, intense bursts over the course of a year. Mascis has said part of the goal was to get back to an earlier guitar sound, using a ’70s Mesa Boogie MK 1 similar to the amp used on Dinosaur Jr.’s first record. The result is a loud, raw and immediate collection that feels unmistakably classic Dinosaur Jr. without sounding like a nostalgia exercise.
The band have also shared a video for album highlight “Everything At Once” and announced additional North American tour dates. Stream or purchase There Near here.
Dinosaur Jr. have released “Blowin’ Up,” the second single from their forthcoming album There Near, arriving August 28 via Jagjaguwar.
One of two songs on the album written by Lou Barlow, “Blowin’ Up” takes a less frenzied musical approach while pairing Barlow’s melodic songwriting with pointed, politically charged lyrics. It follows the previously released lead single “Several Got Away.”
There Near was recorded in short, intense sessions over the course of a year at Bisquiteen Studio in Amherst, with J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph joined by Ken Mauri on piano and organ. Watch the new visualizer and stream “Blowin’ Up” below.
