Mogwai today announce a new 30-year, career-spanning compilation Happy Tears, heralded by the release of a pulverising brand-new song “Underground,” featuring the legendary Iggy Pop, available to stream and download now.

In his book Spaceships Over Glasgow: Mogwai, Mayhem and Misspent Youth, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite writes of how Iggy – solo and with his band The Stooges – is a defining artist in his life: “Hearing the Stooges had been a life-changing moment for me. Their self-titled album was pretty much my bible. It was druggy, dumb and completely primal. I’d never heard anything quite like it and even though that band had pretty much fallen apart by the time I was born, I grew to love the three Stooges albums as much as any music I’d heard. I had a VHS video of Iggy playing live and I watched it over and over. His performance was unlike anything or anyone I’d seen before. The spectacle was great but it was his voice and songs that really captured me.”

Speaking about their collaboration, Iggy says: “I’ve always liked Mogwai. The opening of the track reminded me of the crushing modern loneliness. The sung vocal, which was arranged by Matt Sweeney, felt like it was made for someone who is pissed off and doesn’t mind saying so.”

“I never thought we’d be making 11 records, because hardly any bands I liked ever did. We’re doing it being weirdo Scottish instrumental misery mongers. Like, yeah, that’s pretty wild.’”

– Stuart Braithwaite in Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai

As with their debut single “Tuner” in 1996, Happy Tears is being released via the band’s self-owned and run record label Rock Action Records, also celebrating its 30-year anniversary this year. Alongside the new single, Happy Tears features highlights and rarities from across the band’s discography, including a previous digital only single and a special new re-working of “New Paths to Helicon 1,” titled “Brand New Paths to Helicon 1,” featuring the Budapest Art Orchestra, orchestrated by Adam Wiltize (A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Stars Of The Lid). Happy Tears will be released on January 8, 2027 and available in 2xLP and 4xLP versions, as well as 2xCD and digital formats. The special 4xLP edition of the collection features 13 additional tracks, six of which are previously unreleased, alongside two remixes, two live tracks and three rarities.

Alongside the new collection, Mogwai have teamed up with creative studio Cup & Nuzzle (Transmissions: The Definitive Story Of Joy Division And New Order) for a new feature-length audio documentary Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai, telling the band’s story in their own words for the first time. Narrated by Cup & Nuzzle founder and BBC 6 Music presenter Matt Everitt, Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai is an oral history of three decades of inspiration, independence, music and friendship. The documentary is set to be released in conjunction with the compilation and available for pre-order now as part of the Happy Tears deluxe bundle as a 2.5-hour audio file or as a standalone download.