Modest Mouse have released a new single titled “Look How Far,” marking the band’s first new music since their 2021 album The Golden Casket. The track arrives as the group celebrates its 30th anniversary year, with a new full-length album expected sometime in 2026.
Frontman Isaac Brock leads the song with a snarling vocal delivery that recalls the band’s early, more chaotic sound. Lyrically, Brock reflects on nostalgia, legacy, and the pull of the past, opening with the lines: “I used to sleep in the branches / I used to slither in the grass / I can’t believe how long I’ve wanted to be living in the past.”
The track also features drums from Janet Weiss, the acclaimed musician known for her work with Sleater-Kinney, adding a driving rhythm to the brief but punchy song.
The song captures many of the same sonic traits Modest Mouse have leaned into during the past two decades. Since the breakthrough success of “Float On” and the 2004 album Good News for People Who Love Bad News, the band has often balanced their more experimental instincts with a polished indie rock sound that became widely recognizable.
From that perspective, “Look How Far” lands somewhere in the middle. It is undeniably a strong track, but it also feels somewhat derivative of the style Modest Mouse have been refining since the mid 2000s. The band’s formula still works, but it raises a broader question about longevity in alternative rock. How many variations on the same sonic blueprint can a band release before listeners start looking for something new?
That said, the single still leaves plenty of room for optimism about what comes next. With a full album expected later this year, there is a strong possibility that “Look How Far” represents just one corner of a much larger sonic palette. Modest Mouse have never been a band afraid to experiment, and their catalog has repeatedly shifted directions across decades.
Alongside the new music, the band has also announced a major 2026 tour schedule that will take them across the United States and Canada throughout the spring and summer.
The run begins May 12 in Spokane, Washington, and includes appearances at major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and Shaky Knees. The band will also open for My Chemical Romance at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on August 18.
Earlier this year, Modest Mouse also hosted their first Ice Cream Floats cruise, a fan focused event that sailed from Miami to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The cruise featured multiple sets from the band, including a full performance of their landmark 2000 album The Moon & Antarctica, along with performances from Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Mannequin Pussy, Built to Spill, FIDLAR, Tropical Fuck Storm, and others.
With a new single out and a full tour on the horizon, 2026 is shaping up to be another busy year for the long running indie rock band. Whether the upcoming album pushes their sound into new territory or continues refining a familiar formula remains to be seen.
Modest Mouse 2026 Tour Dates
May
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May 12 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
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May 13 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
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May 14 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm
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May 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party
June
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Jun 4 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
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Jun 5 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
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Jun 6 – Allentown, PA – Archer Music Hall
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Jun 7 – Virginia Beach, VA – Virginia Beach Dome
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Jun 9 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
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Jun 10 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
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Jun 12 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
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Jun 13 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
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Jun 14 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
July
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Jul 2 – Bellingham, WA – Mt. Baker Theatre
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Jul 3 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
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Jul 5 – Calgary, AB – Calgary Stampede
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Jul 7 – Saskatoon, SK – Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
August
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Aug 4 – Ojai, CA – Libbey Bowl
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Aug 5 – Del Mar, CA – The Sound
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Aug 7 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
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Aug 8 – Jacksonville, OR – Britt Pavilion
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Aug 9 – Portland, OR – Pioneer Courthouse Square
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Aug 12 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
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Aug 13 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theater
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Aug 14 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
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Aug 18 – Washington, DC – Nationals Park (with My Chemical Romance)
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Aug 19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
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Aug 20 – South Deerfield, MA – Tree House Brewing Company
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Aug 21 – Shelburne, VT – The Green
September
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Aug 28 – Palmer, AK – Alaska State Fair
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Sep 20 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
Earlier this year, Modest Mouse also hosted their first Ice Cream Floats cruise, a fan-focused event that sailed from Miami to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The band performed multiple sets on board, including a full performance of their landmark 2000 album The Moon & Antarctica. The cruise lineup also included Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Mannequin Pussy, Built to Spill, FIDLAR, Tropical Fuck Storm, and others.
With new music arriving and a full touring schedule ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be a major year for the long-running indie rock group.