Today, The Breeders release a track from their upcoming reissue of Last Splash (out on Friday), ‘Divine Mascis’, a never before heard version of ‘Divine Hammer’ from the original recording sessions, featuring vocals from Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. The track is released with a new video directed by Sabrina Nichols. The reissue, entitled Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition), will be released this Friday (22 September).
Mascis’ version of the song came as a pleasant surprise to the rest of the band. Speaking to Uncut, Kelley Deal explains: “At the time, J Mascis was a guitar god… we sent him the tape to put guitar on, so when it came back and he’s got rid of our voices and just put his vocal on, we were like, ‘Wha?!’ But it’s really cute. There’s a freshness to it, and it’s just so weird. I like his voice and the idiosyncratic way he sings and delivers lines. So I thought it was really neat.”
To celebrate the of the album’s 30 years, the band are currently on the road for a special run of shows performing Last Splash in its entirety, appearing with Belly (formed by original Breeder Tanya Donelly), Screaming Females and Horsegirl in select markets. They will also be supporting Olivia Rodrigo in Los Angeles and New York shows in 2024 – full tour dates are below. Tickets and information availableHERE.
The new song and video follows the recently released lyric video for ‘Drivin’ on 9’ by Michael Speed – watch HERE, alongside the release of ‘Drivin’ on 9’ bumper stickers that will be available at retail and included on all pre-orders of the album from the 4AD store. To pre-order the reissue of Last Splash, head HERE.
A defining album of the 90s, Last Splash by The Breeders turns 30 this year. Recorded by the ‘classic’ Breeders line-up of Kim Deal (vocals, guitar), Kelley Deal (guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass, vocals) and Jim Macpherson (drums, vocals), and featuring the infectiously appealing ‘Cannonball’, Last Splash immediately became an alt-rock classic, achieving platinum status in the UK and US, and is ranked in Pitchfork’s Top 100 Records of the 1990s.
To celebrate this anniversary, the album has been remastered from the original analog tapes – previously thought to be lost – a process which also brought to light two unreleased tracks, a discovery that will delight fans. The reissue will span two 12” 45rpm vinyl discs, plus an exclusive, one-sided etched 12” disc containing the two forgotten tracks from the original Last Splash sessions: ‘Divine Mascis’ and ‘Go Man Go’, a track that Kim co-wrote with Black Francis.
For this special edition, the original, iconic sleeve art by the late visionary designer Vaughan Oliver has been gloriously reimagined by his long-time design partner Chris Bigg.
