DJ Shadow The Mountain Will Fall

Josh Davis, bka DJ Shadow, has been relatively quiet, having been on tour since 2014’s The Liquid Amber EP, and his last proper full-length was The Less You Know, The Better, which came out in 2011. But it seems the time away has served him well, as he’s come back more confident in the announcement of his new album The Mountain Will Fall due this summer. The producer told Pitchfork: “Sometimes records are a struggle. This record, I knew exactly what I wanted to get across.” The new album’s title is a hint at revisiting and besting his seminal classic Endtroducing 20 years after its release. The couple of years he spent touring on DJ gigs, returning to the tactile familiarity of his decks has inspired the look back while pushing forward featuring the likes of labelmate Run The Jewels.

The first foray into the new album is the opening title track. It’s a slow-building, slow-winding joint that churns bouncy synths, off-time-on-purpose drums, and big, lingering atmospheric sweeps together for a slight scoring feel. The track oscillates, swelling into a huge moment in the middle and dissipating into subdued intricacy. This first indication is nice step toward Shadow returning to classic form. Check it out along with album details below.

The Mountain Will Fall is out 6/24 via Mass Appeal.

01 “The Mountain Will Fall”
02 “Nobody Speak feat. Run the Jewels
03 “Three Ralphs”
04 “Bergschrund” feat. Nils Frahm
05 “The Sideshow” feat. Ernie Fresh
06 “Depth Charge”
07 “Mambo”
08 “Ashes To Oceans” feat. Matthew Halsall
09 “Pitter Patter” feat. G Jones & Bleep Bloop
10 “California”
11 “Ghost Town”
12 “Suicide Pact”
13 “Swerve” (iTunes Bonus Track)