Next week (8/5), Atmosphere, the duo consisting of Slug and Ant, will release their latest album, Fishing Blues. The LP, distributed by Rhymesayers, will be their 11th in a catalog that spans nearly 20 years. Featured guests include Aesop Rock, deM atlaS, The Grouch and more.

Atmosphere Heat Up An 8-Year Old Album Cut With Solar-Powered Technology (Video)

One of the album’s most anticipated songs is “When The Lights Go Out,” featuring DOOM and Kool Keith. As spotted on Ego Trip, the song sports the type of ominous and sinister track on which each artist shines, taking Slug, DOOM and Keith in different directions. Slug tells a chilling tale of knife-wielding revenge, DOOM spits a twisted stream of consciousness, and Keith, who does not rhyme, closes the song out with musings about the trappings of politics, gossip, capitalism and vanity.



By contrast, “Pure Evil,” featuring I.B.E., provides a much more linear narrative. The song tells a story from the first person perspective of a troubled police officer who has killed someone. Its powerful video supports the song’s lyrics, showing the officer riding out into the desert, in the aftermath, and burning his uniform.

Both songs signal great things to come from the album.