Throwing Muses were always one of the 80s and early 90s finest indie bands, and while they never achieved the world-beating success as many of their fellow 4AD-signed peers, their music still sounds just as crucial as it did way back then.

Although they disbanded for most of the late 90s, the band reformed for 2003’s excellent self-titled full-length and since then have been disarmingly quiet. Well now their return has been confirmed with the announcement of a massive new 32-track album and typically for a band that’s always been so concerned with their visuals, it’s going to be packaged with an art book.

Entitled Purgatory/Paradise, the book/album will feature a selection of artwork from dummer Dave Narcizo as well as photos, writing and lyrics from the endlessly talented Kristin Hersh and will come with a multimedia disc and host of downloadables.

‘sleepwalking 1′ is the first track previewed from the record, and highlights the band’s influential early sound while not sounding even a tiny bit dated. Led by Hersh’s unmistakable wail this is the Throwing Muses that helped us fall in love with 4AD back in the days before internet and before digital television, and damn is it good to have ’em back. [via Stereogum]

Tracklist:

01 smoky hands
02 morning birds 1
03 sleepwalking 2
04 sunray venus
05 cherry candy 1
06 film
07 opiates
08 cherry candy 2
09 freesia
10 curtains 1
11 triangle quanitico
12 morning birds 2
13 lazy eye
14 blurry 1
15 folding fire
16 slippershell
17 bluff
18 blurry 2
19 terra nova
20 walking talking
21 milan
22 curtains 2
23 folding fire 1
24 static
25 clark’s nutcracker
26 dripping trees
27 sleepwalking 1
28 smoky hands 2
29 speedbath
30 quick
31 dripping trees 2
32 glass cats

The book will be released on October 28, with the full release coming on November 11.