The World Is to Dig

EP release

In early 2026, They Might Be Giants teased a new tour for the release of an EP titled Eyeball and for The World Is to Dig.^[2] The band released Eyeball as a "warm-up" to The World Is to Dig^[3][4] on January 15, 2026.^[5][6] After the release of the EP, John Linnell stated that Eyeball consists of songs left over from the creation process of The World Is to Dig by stating, "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".^[5]

Title and cover art

The title of The World Is to Dig is inspired by the 1952 children's book A Hole Is to Dig, written by American author Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. The album's title is referencing a beatnik phrase to "dig" something rather than actually digging a hole.^[1] The cover art is a Hudson River School painting of Yosemite Valley^[7] credited to After Thomas Hill. The cover also includes an acorn illustration by Tony Millionaire.^[8]

Tracks 1–9

The opening track, "Back In Los Angeles", was described by Spectrum Culture as having "a lovely, dramatic string arrangement and lyrics that are an archly observed, slightly acidic but not unaffectionate East Coast outsiders' portrait of L.A. It's strangely elegiac and subdued for an opening song, but in itself that's refreshing..."^[13]

John Linnell stated that he wrote the lead single "Wu-Tang" as a celebration of the Wu-Tang Clan but in the form of a completely unrelated genre from the hip-hop collective;^[14] Stereogum described the song's genre as power pop.^[4] The Harvard Crimson stated that the harmony between John Linnell and John Flansburgh in "Wu-Tang" provides a similar feeling to earlier They Might Be Giants songs, such as "Subliminal".^[11] John Flansburgh stated in a Chronogram interview that "Wu-Tang" is "about fandom—how you can get swept up in something in a very real way. The narrator isn't necessarily us. [...] There are people out there who are deeply, sincerely into things—Wu-Tang included. That intensity is real, even if the premise seems funny".^[15]

The Daily Iowan stated that the single "Sleep's Older Sister" "was a gentler groove through a curious, lucid dream space. It chronicles a love affair with dreams, which the speaker laments are too expensive now".^[16]

"Je N'en Ai Pas" is written with lyrics entirely in French and includes French phrases which John Linnell learned.^[1] Its title roughly translates to "I've got nothing" in English. The Daily Iowan described "Je N'en Ai Pas" as having "an interesting zag to 'Sleep [Older Sister]'s' zig".^[16]

The Far Out Magazine stated that the single "Outside Brain" is "1990s nostalgia rampant throughout all forms of the cultural sphere" and "build[s] upon the Brooklyn duo's distinctive alt-rock twang, bridging the gap between their golden age output and more recent offerings".^[17]

The Daily Iowan continued by stating that "Let's Fall in Lava" "was a slower ballad about how dangerous it can feel to fall in love. 'What would Terminator 2 feel if he could feel' was the standout lyric".^[16]

Spectrum Culture described that "[t]he minute-long 'Telescope,' which could almost be from one of their children's albums [...] has [a] clunky junkyard texture..." Spectrum Culture continued with that "'Garbage In' is similarly catchy [...] [and] seems to be about a zombie apocalypse". They also stated that "'Get Down' is dramatic, horn-bolstered espionage-funk and one of the most old-style TMBG tracks on the album, but lyrically it's inconsequentially rather than loveably silly".^[13]

Tracks 10–18

Spectrum Culture stated that "New Wave Will Never Die" "has a nice, hushed, slinky melody but feels like a joke in search of a punchline, where their best songs are funny all the way through without seeming to strain for more".^[13]

The World Is to Dig includes a cover of 1974 single "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" by American pop rock band the Raspberries.^[13][15] From Rotate Magazine, John Linnell stated that "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" has had a lasting impact on him that resonated. He continued by stating that he heard "the track on AM radio during his youth" and that "revisiting its themes [...] brings a sense of irony and renewed appreciation" to him.^[18]

The Daily Iowan stated that "Character Flaw" has a "chorus [that is] extremely catchy, [and] the story it tells was amusing enough to incite an audible laugh — that of a blatantly flawed individual..."^[16] AllMusic described "Hit the Ground" as "sound[ing] like a cover [song]" and being a "vintage soul homage".^[9]

Spectrum Culture stated that "What You Get" is "lighter than a philosophical song about accepting your life and its boundaries has any right to be..."^[13] AllMusic explained that "Slow" "conveys the dissolution of time" and has "mind-bending microtones".^[9] Spectrum Culture stated that "In the Dead Mall" is a "portrait of a mall past its prime", and that "[a]t their most likeable, the Johns write lines that immediately have the listener anticipating what the rhyme will be, as in the fuzzy rock 'n' roll of 'What the Cat Dragged In'".^[13]

Spectrum Culture continued with how "[t]he closing 'They Might Be Feral' satirizes small town conservatism – admittedly an easy target – without being overbearing or self-righteous and is a good bit of power pop".^[13]