Mogwai recruit Iggy Pop for new song Underground from Happy Tears compilation

Mogwai have recruited Iggy Pop for a new song titled “Underground”.

The news was confirmed on 30 September 2026. It pairs the band with Pop as a billed guest vocalist. Short and direct. A new name on a new track.

The song arrives as part of a bigger announcement. Mogwai have announced a new compilation titled “Happy Tears”, according to Pitchfork. A compilation, in plain terms, gathers recordings together in one collection rather than presenting a single studio album of all-new material.

“Happy Tears” is scheduled for release on 8 January via Rock Action. That date and release route were confirmed with the announcement. For anyone new to how releases work, “via” here simply names the company handling the release.

“Underground” is part of that package. It is listed as “Underground (feat. Iggy Pop)” on the “Happy Tears” compilation. The abbreviation “feat.” is short for featuring, and it means Pop is credited as a guest on Mogwai’s track.

There is a second release coming alongside the music. Mogwai will also release “Happy Tears: The Story of Mogwai”, an audio documentary about the band’s rise. An audio documentary tells a story in sound, using speech and archive rather than songs alone.

The two titles are linked. One is the compilation. The other is the spoken story of how the band got there. Both use the “Happy Tears” name, and both were announced together.

For listeners, this means two ways in. Newcomers can start with the collection and its new collaboration. Longer-term followers get that same new song plus a full retelling of the band’s rise in the band’s own audio history.