Originally a drummer with The Pretenders, then one half of the electronica duo, Moodswings, wth Grant Showbiz (The Smiths, Billy Bragg), James Hood is closing in on the release of a new solo album. Named Quantum Mind Carnival, it is due to arrive on July 18th 2025. Keep reading below to find out more.
Pre-order Quantum Mind Carnival here: https://jameshood.bandcamp.com/album/quantum-mind-carnival
Describing the forthcoming album, Hood explains, “Quantum Mind Carnival is a sonic collage for the entertainment of the human mind. It’s balm for your soul. It might make you laugh, or cry, or remind you of a forgotten memory. It is a sonic trojan horse that can change people’s perception, it can help you enter another world that lets your imagination run wild.”
Hood has reached for the stars and, in the process, has brought planetariums back into vogue, selling over 2 million tickets in the US alone to his 360° multi-sensory theatre/planetarium immersive shows known as Mesmerica and Beautifica, making him the #1 immersive artist in the world. In addition to those pulse-pounding, planetarium projects, Hood also hit #1 on the iTunes World Music Charts with his 2014 album Ceremony — and then achieved #1 status again in 2015 & 2017 with his LP’s Pure Ceremony & Mesmerica.
Quantum Mind Carnival features found sounds and short segments of audio that have arranged themselves into a mind-blowing journey, explains Hood “ The calm mind is like a clear lake always conjuring reactions. You can listen to this on repeat, it’s like entering a deep cosey inner world. I am talking about the flowering of human consciousness. The human being today is more sensitive to all senses. I love it when people listen to my music with headphones, so that they get the full spectrum of sound. My music always sounds very wide; I love things that are outside of the speakers that are an immersive experience sensitizing our ears.”
When asked what the intention was for creating Quantum Mind Carnival, Hood responds: “I want it to be a transcendental mainline directly into the heart of your awareness. It is a sonic collage, a neo classical orchestral concept album unlike anything else anyone has heard. Even if you have been bored with music for the last 20 years, this is the reason to buy new speakers.”