Danny Elfman recruits Robin Finck and Nili Brosh for his first album in 37 years, Big Mess

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Listen to the legendary composer's mesmerizing new single, True, now

[L-R] Robin Finck, Danny Elfman and Nili Brosh
(Image credit: Scott Dudelson/WireImage / Danny Elfman / Future)

Danny Elfman has announced Big Mess, his first album in 37 years. It follows the film composer's 1984 synth-pop record, So-Lo.

Arriving June 11 via ANTI-/Epitaph, Big Mess comprises a whopping 18 tracks, and sees Elfman joined by guitarists Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails, Guns N' Roses) and Nili Brosh, drummer Josh Freese (Weezer, The Vandals) and bassist Stu Brooks (Lady Gaga, Dub Trio).

Watch the video for the album's mesmerizing new single True below.

Big Mess is an experiment by Elfman – written during quarantine in 2020 – to explore the combination of aggressive rock music and orchestral strings.

“Once I began writing,” he explains, “It was like opening a Pandora’s box and I found I couldn’t stop. None of it was planned. I had no idea how many songs I would write but from the start it quickly became a two-sided project with heavily contrasting and even conflicting tones.”

Later in the fall, Elfman will release a limited-edition boxset edition of Big Mess, which will feature unreleased remixes, alternate versions of songs, collectible artwork, a unique USB with video content and bonus material, and an exclusive art book featuring Sarah Sitkin's original creations.

Check out the album's tracklisting below:

  1. Sorry
  2. True
  3. In Time
  4. Everybody Loves You
  5. Dance With The Lemurs
  6. Serious Ground
  7. Choose Your Side
  8. We Belong
  9. Happy
  10. Just A Human
  11. Devil Take Away
  12. Love In The Time Of Covid
  13. Native Intelligence
  14. Better Times
  15. Cruel Compensation
  16. Kick Me
  17. Get Over It
  18. Insects

Danny Elfman Big Mess

(Image credit: Danny Elfman)
Sam Roche
Sam Roche

Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.