Who’d have thought that when John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar) and John Linnell (vocals, keys) started out on their journey as The Might Be Giants in 1982 they’d still be here in 2026 and releasing their 24th studio album? Yet it makes perfect sense; the slightly surreal, fluid brand of alternative rock that they peddle seems to exist outside our current time frame and could have been released at any point in the past fifty years (or the coming fifty, to think of it). Timeless they might be, but they’ve managed to remain relevant without trying, delivering a succession of experimental albums that bounce around popular culture like a silver ball in a pinball arcade. Latest album The World Is To Dig is no exception and finds our dynamic duo serving up eighteen tracks that fizz, sparkle and never fail to amaze.

On encountering opening track ‘Back In Los Angeles’ you might think you’ve entered the wrong room as it gives no definite point of reference: is it Weimar cabaret, alternative rock, an indie banger, or a homage to Tin Pan Alley? In truth it is all of these (and more) and is the kind of move only They Might Be Giants could make. Whenever approaching one of their albums it’s always wise to expect the unexpected, and even more so now that the band has aged like a malt liquor. The intervening years since their debut have been wisely spent, the band honing their craft, learning what works and jettisoning the rest and the result is a set of songs that flow seamlessly between a pure pop sensibility and the downright avant garde. Being written as a homage to hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan you might expect the following track ‘Wu-Tang’ to be heavy on beats, bombastic and full of lyrics about gang bangers, yet keeping that golden rule in mind, it’s actually a rather upbeat, ‘60s flavoured cut that still pays tribute to their fellow New Yorkers, but in the Giants’ own sweet way. From here the band adopt the persona of lounge lizards for ‘Sleep’s Older Sister’, and it’s an approach that echoes throughout the album, with no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space, there’s a feeling of perpetual motion and it is from here that the band gain their relevance; not by chasing fads and trends, but simply by being their eclectic selves.

With only a couple of tracks breaking the three minute barrier, They Might Be Giants don’t over egg the pudding and know exactly when to cut and run and leave the listener hungry for more. A cover of The Raspberries’ ‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)’ is the longest cut on the album, and being a faithful rendition it’s also the least inventive, but hopefully it’ll give people a taste of the world’s most underrated band. It is with ‘They Might Be Feral’ that the band ride off to the sunset in an off kilter way, which is exactly how they arrived. Who knows where They Might Be Giants will go next, but one thing’s for sure; it’s bound to be interesting.

• The World Is To Dig is released on 14th April 2026 (available here).
• Official Website

Track List:

1. Back In Lost Angeles
2. Wu-Tang
3. Sleep’s Older Sister
4. Je N’en Ai Pas
5. Outside Brain
6. Let’s Fall In Lava
7. Telescope
8. Garbage In
9. Get Down
10. New Wave Will Never Die
11. Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)
12. Character Flaw
13. Hit The Ground
14. What You Get
15. Slow
16. In The Dead Mall
17. What The Cat Dragged In
18. They Might Be Feral