During a 2011 tour, Cave told an audience that “it’s over” for the band — a statement later clarified by drummer Jim Sclavunos as a “bye-bye” because “who knows what will happen in five or 10 years time.” Well, sure enough, the band got an itch to switch from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (which all of the band members are in) to GRINDERMAN. Cave recently took to his blog to confirm GRINDERMAN’s first and second records are “part of a yet to be completed trilogy,” NME notes. The new record would follow up their 2010 release, Grinderman 2.

 

Cave brought up GRINDERMAN in response to a simple fan question: “When was the last time you felt a sense of pride (in yourself)?” While responding, Cave detailed his love for prog rock, specifically the complexities of King Crimson, and went on to note that he hopes his music does the same. The GRINDERMAN song “Heathen Child”, which features Robert Fripp on an extended version, brings him a sense of pride for mirroring that intricacy. But in his answer, Cave took time to note an important aside. Read an excerpt of his answer below:

 

“In 2010, Grinderman recorded a song called ‘Heathen Child’ for the Grinderman 2 album (part of a yet to be completed trilogy, you might be happy to know) and we invited Robert Fripp to play on the extended version. This version, called ‘Super Heathen Child’, is Grinderman at their very best. I felt as though Grinderman was laying claim to their roots. Many music critics thought that Grinderman was a return to the sound of The Birthday Party, but I never understood that. From my own perspective within the band, Grinderman was much more influenced by the British progressive rock of my youth than anything else (except Miles Davis’ late electronic period, perhaps).”

 

Meanwhile, NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS are working on a follow-up to 2016’s The Skeleton Tree, which his wife has dubbed as being his “Fever Songs.” He’s also announced a series of orchestral gigs with pal Warren Ellis. And on top of it all, he’s still performing “Conversations” tour dates in North America later this fall, where the singer-songwriter offers an “exercise in connectivity” with fans. It’s hard to believe there’s time to work on a new GRINDERMAN album at all.