Joseph Arthur and Peter Buck, (of R.E.M. fame) will release their debut album, Arthur Buck, on June 15 via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by Joseph Arthur and mixed by Tchad Blake (U2, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, The Black Keys) with all of its songs co-written by the duo. The collaboration was established after the pair met up in Mexico near the end of 2017. They wrote eight songs in three days and on the fourth day, performed them for a handful of Baja locals near Buck’s home.

Arthur says, “My first thought was, ‘Hey, I’ll get Peter to play acoustic guitar on some of the stuff I’m working on!’ So I started showing him songs. But he was like, ‘That’s cool. Now check this out.’ And he started playing chords and whatnot.  So I put my guitar down and began singing over his changes, and it was magical. It was easy. And these great songs just started popping out.”

Since their initial meeting, the pair have been steadily working on their debut with basic tracks being recorded at Type Foundry Studio in Portland, OR with Arthur producing at his studio in Brooklyn, NY. The vibrant collection captures the spontaneity at the heart of the project - right down to the 1-2-3-4 count off from Buck that begins the proceedings - with sounds and styles mashed together in a unique and interesting manner.

“It was all new songs, and it was spontaneous,” Buck says. “And the great thing about working that way was that it didn’t have to be anything in particular. It was liberated from any expectation. It was free.” The album opens with ‘I Am The Moment’, which marries Buck’s sharply-strummed acoustic guitar chords to an electronic beat, with all manner of sonic ephemera ping-ponging around in the background.

The two musicians have a history that stretches back decades; among other pairings, Arthur opened many shows for R.E.M. in the early 2000s, while Buck has backed Arthur on numerous occasions. Both Arthur and Buck have said that these songs differ from their other recording projects and while speaking with Rolling Stone last month, Buck said “It was really spontaneous and kind of magical in its own way, as [being in Mexico] we were kind of disconnected from everything.” Arthur added, “All of a sudden it was like I had this musical partner and friend, and that relieved the music of the burden of the self, if that makes sense.” Of his new bandmate, Buck stated, “Joe is going through that searching period we all go through in life. And those experiences he’s having make this a very forward-looking record, lyrically. The music has a questing kind of feel. We were making it up as we went along.”

Arthur Buck Track Listing:

1. I Am The Moment

2. Are You Electrified?

3. The Wanderer

4. Forever Waiting

5. If You Wake Up In Time

6. Summertime

7. American Century

8. Forever Falling

9. Before Your Love Is Gone

10. Wide Awake In November

11. Can’t Make It Without You

Chris Liebing and Mute are delighted to announce his signing to the label and the release of a brand new track, ‘Novembergrey’. Liebing explains his relationship with the label: “Without realising, a lot of the music I was into came from just one label, Mute. I vividly remember dancing around to songs by Depeche Mode and Yazoo and banging my head in dark basements to the likes of DAF, Laibach and Nitzer Ebb. Things came full circle when I found myself in the Mute office and I’m delighted to be working with Daniel Miller, someone I’ve known for years and Mute, a label I have known for longer still.”

Daniel Miller, talking about the new signing, said: "After meeting up with Chris at numerous techno events, exchanging music and discussing ideas for many years, it was great to hear new music by him again and we're delighted that he's part of the Mute family."

Renowned worldwide for his unique DJ sets, Chris Liebing is a leading light in German techno and devoted to the performance, production, distribution and broadcasting of music on a global level. His DJ sets are sonic journeys between darkness and light, always far from the beaten tracks of the musical mainstream. ‘Novembergrey’, co-produced by Ralf Hildenbeutel, marks a new facet of Liebing’s dynamic sound, one that will certainly continue his own journey as an inspiration to DJs, artists, producers and music lovers worldwide.

In addition, Chris Liebing has announced a series of very special club nights throughout May.

9 May - Paris, Concrete (FR)

10 May - Rome, Goa (IT)

11 May - London, Village Underground (UK)

12 May - Munich, Blitz (DE)

13 May - Berlin, Berghain (DE)