Bob Mould has announced a new live EP, The Ocean, featuring three solo acoustic performances. It’s out now via Merge. The performances were recorded for NPR’s World Café at Mould’s Granary Music home studio in San Francisco and feature stripped-down reworking of Blue Hearts songs “The Ocean” and “Forecast Of Rain,” plus Hüsker Dü classic “Divide And Conquer.” Today, in addition to the EP being out, Mould has shared a live performance video of “Forecast Of Rain,” which was filmed last October at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton, Wisconsin during the Solo Electric: Distortion & Blue Hearts! Tour.

Of the new EP, Mould said:

One of my special places is Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Over the past twelve years, I’ve spent many early mornings walking the shoreline. There’s very few people at dawn: fishers, joggers with dogs, surfers. Depending on the tide cycle, the beach takes on different appearances – sandy sheets of reflective glass, ever-shifting playground for Snowy Plovers and other birds, ocean matter washed up on the shore. I think clearly when walking through the mixture of salt, sand, wind and water. The beach beneath my feet, waves as far as the eye can see, the twinkling night sky giving way to colorful morning light. The constant din of the waves does wonders for my tinnitus. It’s a grounding, soothing, calming feeling – a place to rest. And, there’s always the undertow — that chance of ending up in deeper waters. The Ocean is my homage to those visions, senses, and emotions.

Watch “Forecast Of Rain” below, and check out Mould’s upcoming tour dates across the US and UK.

TOUR DATES:
3/30 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
04/01 – Palm Springs, CA @ Alibi
04/02 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
04/03 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
04/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
04/06 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
04/08 – Petaluma, CA @ Mystic Theater
04/09 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Felton Music Hall
04/10 – Berkeley, CA @ Freight & Salvage
04/12 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
04/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
04/15 – Bellingham, WA @ Mount Baker Theatre Lounge
04/16 – Olympia, WA @ Capitol Theater
04/18 – Seattle, WA @ Triple Door
04/19 – Eugene, OR @ Sessions Music Hall
05/13 – Newton, NJ @ Newton Theater
05/14 – York, PA @ Appell Center
05/17 – Pawling, NY @ Daryl’s House
05/18 – Albany, NY @ Lark Hall
05/21 – Plymouth, NH @ Flying Monkey
05/24 – Old Saybrook, CT @ The Kate
05/26 – East Greenwich, RI @ Greenwich Odeon
05/27 – North Truro, MA @ Payomet Outdoor Ballfield
06/04 – Helsinki, FI @ Wipeout Fest
06/09 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
06/10 – Southampton, UK @ Engine Rooms
06/12 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill
06/14 – Oxford, UK @ Oxford O2 Academy 2
06/16 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
06/17 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
06/18 – Stoke-on-Trent, UK @ The Sugarmill
06/20 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
06/22 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
06/23 – Newcastle, UK @ Riverside
06/24 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club
06/25 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
06/27 – Chester, UK @ The Live Rooms
06/28 – Cardiff, UK @ The Globe
06/30 – Belfast, UK @ Limelight 2
10/07 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
10/08 – Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk Chumley Theater
10/09 – Nashville, TN @ City Winery
10/11 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt
10/12 – Atlanta, GA @ City Winery
10/14 – Ponte Vedra, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
10/15 – Charleston, SC @ Pour House
10/18 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
10/22 – Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center
10/23 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle

The Ocean EP is out now via Merge.