New Beastie Boys Album on the Way

photo by Jorge Jorquera

Earlier this week Justin offered a brief update on the Beastie Boys, including the interesting news that the band will be doing some all-instrumental shows on their upcoming tour.

Now, NME is reporting that Beasties have a new album on the way. The new record is set to be released in June and will be entitled:The Mix Up. NME briefly checked in with Mike D. about the album and he said the following:

We play instruments on the whole album, as opposed to sampling. There’s more rock on there. If you know us you can trace the influences and they’re no [sic] completely surprising. Someone who listens to us casually might think ‘What the hell are these guys doing?’ It might make you flip your wig right off, or your hairpiece, if you’re a casual listener.

This is what we like to hear. It’s nice to see them getting back to the basics and their roots as a band. Like Justin, I am also a big fan of their instrumental side. In fact, after having In Sound From Way Out as a staple in my CD collection since 1996, I’ve long since held the belief that the band could really shake things up by going on tour purely as an instrumental band. They might even consider stripping down the big rock show and play some smaller mid-size venues and clubs. And heck, why not tour under a psuedonym to add a little secretive, underground flavor? Call me crazy, but seeing anything that would basically amount to a Beastie Boys jamband would be pretty ridiculous! Yeah, I said it!

World exclusive – Beastie Boys name new album [NME]