The Bad Fire

The album is the successor to 2021's As the Love Continues, and was produced by John Congleton and recorded at Chem 19 Studios in Scotland.^[10] The cover art by Dave "DLT" Thomas features a painting of a volcanic crater; the phrase "Bad Fire" being an old Scottish name for hell.^[10] Three tracks ("God Gets You Back", "Lion Rumpus" and "Fanzine Made of Flesh") were released on or before the announcement date of the album.^[11][12][13]

In a press release accompanying the announcement of the album, the band said "After the high of putting out As the Love Continues, the following years were personally hard for us. We’ve dealt with a lot of loss and in Barry’s case a serious family illness with one of his daughters. Getting back together to write and record this record felt like a refuge and with John Congleton we feel that we’ve made something special. We often hear from people that our music has helped them get through hard times in their lives and for once I think it applies to us as well."^[12]

The album was released on CD and digital download with ten tracks. Deluxe versions were also available, including vinyl editions and a box set, some of which featured a bonus disc (12" vinyl or CD) containing demo versions of album tracks.^[14]

All songs written by Mogwai.

On many vinyl copies, side four contains no listenable tracks.

• Mogwai: Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Braithwaite, Martin Bulloch, Barry Burns^[a]
• Produced and mixed by John Congleton
• Violin and additional guitar by Luke Sutherland
• Lyrics on "God Gets You Back" by Rosa Burns
• Artwork by Dave Thomas ("DLT")