Jack Cooper introduces new Modern Nature lineup on The Heat Warps
Modern Nature will release a new album titled The Heat Warps on 29 August 2025, via Bella Union. The release follows a period of relative quiet for the group, with songwriter and guitarist Jack Cooper relocating to the countryside in 2021 and focusing on family life. The new LP introduces a revised lineup and a shift in structure, anchored by a dual-guitar setup and a more stripped ensemble. The first track to surface, Pharaoh, is now available.
Artist: Modern Nature
Release Date: 2025-07-29
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, Post-rock
Label: Bella Union
Description: Modern Nature announce The Heat Warps, out 29 August via Bella Union, and share lead single Pharaoh with updated lineup and new direction.
Featured image: Michael Stasiak
Pharaoh references two figures: saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and the archetype of rulers, religious or otherwise. The track emerged in part from Cooper’s engagement with Andrew Weatherall, who played Modern Nature on his NTS radio show before his death in 2020. Weatherall’s phrase “Fail we may, sail we must” was cited by Cooper as formative. According to him, the single addresses the tension between received authority and individual ethics: a contrast between deference to power and the search for personal principle.
The current iteration of Modern Nature consists of Jack Cooper (vocals, guitar), Jim Wallis (drums), Jeff Tobias (bass guitar), and new guitarist Tara Cunningham. Cooper described the expanded configuration as instrumental in shifting the musical direction—less reliant on the larger rotating ensembles of previous albums, and more focused on interplay between the core quartet.
Speaking about the LP, Cooper mentioned ongoing themes in his work—human collectivity, ecological precarity, and the desire to remain ethically functional under structural pressures. In this case, the lyrics and arrangements reflect what he calls a “directness and purpose” that he associates with the current lineup and their interactions. The album was written and recorded over the past year, though precise recording dates and studio locations have not been made public.
Modern Nature formed in 2018, initially as a duo of Jack Cooper and Will Young (Beak>). Since then, the project has involved contributions from Rupert Gillett, Mike Copper, Nina Harries, and Jude Rees, among others. Cooper’s background includes prior releases on Trouble in Mind, Bella Union, and collaborations with artists including Damo Suzuki and Sunwatchers’ Jeff Tobias, now a full-time member of the group.
The Heat Warps is available for pre-order through Bella Union.
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