Arab Strap – Half-Told Tales

Almost thirty years after their first single The First Big Weekend, Arab Strap return with Half-Told Tales, the ninth studio album from Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. Released through Rock Action Records, the record follows 2024’s acclaimed I’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore and continues the duo’s singular mixture of dark humour, close observation and emotionally charged storytelling.

Half-Told Tales moves through sharply contrasting moods. Quiet, brooding passages sit beside heavier and more physical moments, including material the band themselves describe in terms as extreme as a disco-metal incantation. That breadth is central to Arab Strap’s appeal: intimate writing and deadpan wit can turn suddenly into something abrasive, funny, uncomfortable or unexpectedly danceable.

The album includes the single You You You and was recorded with long-time collaborator Paul Savage, whose credits include Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand. The partnership gives the record a sense of continuity while leaving room for Moffat and Middleton to keep testing the edges of the Arab Strap sound. Fourteen tracks including I Get Noise, Glamour Magick, Dollar Park, Ampersand and Beats Per Minute make this a substantial double-vinyl set.