Art Bergmann Returns with 'The Apostate,' Premieres New Track

Published Feb 11, 2016

After releasing his Songs for the Underclass EP in 2014 and running a PledgeMusic campaign to fund a new LP, Canadian punk vet Art Bergmann has finally shared the details behind The Apostate, his first full-length in 18 years.Produced by Lorrie Matheson, The Apostate is touted in a press release as "a triumph in the face of his once-debilitating health issues and a music industry that seemingly no longer held a place for him," as well as "the best work he has ever done during his four decades as a recording artist."Along with the album announcement, Bergmann has given listeners a taste of what's to come by unveiling the record's first single, "Mirage (The Apostate)," which is said to reflect the adventurous nature of his latest work."It's my screedy rant against idiotic fundamentalism, inspired by the novel Death and the Dervish by Melas Selimovich," he explained in a statement. "In it, a lowly Islamic monk stands up to the Ottoman Empire after his brother is disappeared and murdered. It's an allegory in which monolithic Communism is replaced by the monolithic might of the Islamic State of two centuries before. It's also inspired by Ezra Pound's phrase 'You can't write paradise,' and by the Tuareg bands of the Western Sahara, especially Tamikrest and their album Chatma, dedicated to their women."The Apostate is set to arrive on April 8 through Weewerk Recordings . Scroll past the record's tracklisting to hear "Mirage (The Apostate)" in the player below.The Apostate:1. Atheist Prayer2. Mirage (The Apostate)3. Cassandra4. The Greatest Story Never Told5. Live It up6. A Town Called Mean7. Pioneers8. The Legend Of Bobby Bird