The World Is to Dig

They Might Be Giants released the EP Eyeball in January 2026 as a "warm-up" release to The World Is to Dig.^[1][2] In 2026, John Linnell stated that the creation of the EP consists of some songs that were left over from The World Is to Dig by saying, "Our favorite way of making records [...] is to write and record too many songs and then arrange the ones that work together as an album. We always have a bunch of good tracks left over to make an EP".^[3]

In October 2021, John Flansburgh stated in a Stereogum interview that They Might Be Giants was working on The World Is to Dig even before Book came out.^[4]

In March 2023, John Linnell stated that ten songs had been recorded or tracked for the album as part of what Creative Loafing described as their regular process of "recording 20–30 tracks and later selecting the best ones to include".^[5]

The band recorded the final version of The World Is to Dig over the course of a year. The Harvard Crimson stated that the band replaced songs from earlier versions of the album with more up tempo ones for the release.^[6] In December 2025, Flansburgh stated that The World Is to Dig was almost finished and complete, though they were still continuing to work on the album.^[7]

While he was talking about The World Is to Dig lead single "Wu-Tang", Linnell stated that he had earlier envisioned creating a song about another band. He also stated that he wrote "Wu-Tang" as a celebration of the Wu-Tang Clan but in the form of a completely unrelated genre from the hip-hop collective.^[8][9] Consequence described the song as "the first glimpse of what fans can expect" and that "Wu-Tang" has a "60s-esque sound".^[1] The Music Universe described the song's lyrics as "celebrat[ing] the power of Wu-Tang Clan over a fan as a transformative force".^[10] The Harvard Crimson stated that the harmony between John Linnell and John Flansburgh in "Wu-Tang" provide a similar feeling to earlier They Might Be Giants songs, such as "Subliminal".^[6]

The other singles explore different genres. Spill Magazine stated that "They Might Be Giants move[d] into some new territory with a dreamy slice of neo-psychedelia with 'Sleep's Older Sister'". Spill Magazine also stated that, in the song "our heroes ponder the imponderables, [and] they meet up with Sleep's older sister to guide them across the River Styx into the great beyond".^[11] The Music Universe stated that "Outside Brain" is "propelled by John Flansburgh's smooth vocals as he unfurls a lyrical panic attack, all backed by Dan Miller's rip curl guitar and Danny Weinkauf's fluid bass lines".^[12] Flansburgh stated that "Outside Brain" is about "mania and panic, and is as much about the feelings of those twisted emotions as it is about any real storytelling in the lyrics".^[13][14][15]

The World Is to Dig includes a cover of "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" by American pop rock band the Raspberries. John Linnell stated that although they never had a big hit in the U.S., he wanted to cover the song.^[16]

The title of The World Is to Dig is inspired by the 1952 children's book A Hole Is to Dig written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.^[6][17]

In March 2026, John Flansburgh stated about his vision behind the album's title:^[6]

I was trying to think of a title that would be positive. We live in this terrible political moment that I think is frightening everybody, and I didn't want the title to be reactive to that, but at the same time, I also sort of wanted to spread a little bit of positive, just sort of immediate positivity.

They Might Be Giants almost used a photo of a sinkhole from The Washington Post as the cover art for the The World Is to Dig, though the mass layoffs of The Washington Post ultimately put the band off from including it as the artwork. The final cover art is a painting of Yosemite Valley^[17][18] credited to After Thomas Hill, with the acorn illustration by Tony Millionaire.^[18]

The album's lead single, "Wu-Tang", was released on February 9, 2026, alongside the announcement of the The World Is to Dig and the reveal of its title.^[1][2] On March 3, 2026, They Might Be Giants released The World Is to Dig single "Sleep's Older Sister".^[11][19] They Might Be Giants released the single "Outside Brain" on March 16, 2026.^[12][20]

The World Is to Dig is scheduled for release on CD, LP, cassette, as a digital download, and via streaming on April 14, 2026.^[11][21]

All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except where noted.

They Might Be Giants

• John Flansburgh – vocals, guitar
• John Linnell – vocals, keyboard
• Dan Miller – guitar
• Danny Weinkauf – bass
• Marty Beller – drums, percussion

Production

• Patrick Dillett – production
• They Might Be Giants – production