After teasing it all week, Massive Attack have shared new song “Boots on the Ground” which is a collaboration with the one and only Tom Waits. That’s doubly exciting as it’s the first Massive Attack music in six years, and it’s the first original work from Tom Waits in 15 years!
“Boots on the Ground” sounds like both Massive Attack and Tom Waits (think Bone Machine era) and is decidedly anti-war. Here’s the first verse: “Big legs dangle from a helicopter hole / Big chug rhythm it’s gotta be now ho! / Brown, mean and young / Dumb and full of cum / What can you use a marine for / This is a fucking ass machine gun war.”
“It’s a career honour to collaborate with an artist of the magnitude, originality and integrity of Tom,” Massive Attack say, “but this track is arriving in an atmosphere of chaos. Across the western hemisphere, state authoritarianism and the militarisation of police forces are fusing again with neo-fascist politics. Seen within the American emergency, at home and overseas, this track contains pulses of callous impulse & abandoned mind.”
Tom Waits notes that this song has taken a long time to see the light of day. “One day many years ago I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate,” he says. “Way back then, we sent them ‘Boots on the Ground.’ Their long release delay never worried me. Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this song will never go out of style.”
This new song comes with an equally potent film directed by Massive Attack in collaboration with US photo artist thefinaleye. “The film quotes statistics and research by the following sources: American Immigration Council, American Civil Liberties Union, Inside Higher Ed,National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, US National Library of Medicine, US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Privacy International and FactCheck.org.” Massive attack say viewers seeking further information or wishing to take action are encouraged to visit aclu.org, veterans-aid.net, immigrantdefenseproject.org, and freedomforimmigrants.org.
“Boots on the Ground” is Massive Attack’s first release for Play It Again Sam and will not be available to stream on Spotify, but is on other services. It’s also being released as a 12″ with a spoken word piece by Waits on the b-side. You can preorder it here.
Says Tom, “Man’s fiasco folly is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B side of Massive Attack’s upcoming 12 inch ‘The Fly’ features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.” The PR notes, “In keeping with their ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions across both live activity and recorded output, Massive Attack have partnered with Good Neighbor to produce an ‘EcoSonic’ pressing. Manufactured using 100% recycled PET (rPET) rather than traditional PVC, the record is fully recyclable and produced via an energy-efficient injection moulding process – a significant shift in record manufacturing. Packaging follows the same approach, with sleeves made from 100% recycled, FSC®-certified paper stock and outer slipcases produced from recycled polyethylene.”
Massive Attack have tour dates lined up, including Primavera Sound. Check out their full schedule below.
While he hasn’t made an album since 2011’s Bad As Me, Tom Waits’ more recent appearance on record was a cover of anti-fascist folk song “Bella Ciao” which was recorded for Marc Ribot’s 2018 album Songs of Resistance.
Massive Attack – 2026 Tour Dates
May 27, 2026 – Helsinki, Finland – Veikkaus Arena Parkhallen
May 30, 2026 – Rättvik, Sweden – Dalhalla
Jun 1, 2026 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
Jun 4, 2026 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound 2026
Jun 7, 2026 – Berlin, Germany – Freilichtbühne Zitadelle (Spandau)
Jun 8, 2026 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
Jun 11, 2026 – Porto, Portugal – Primavera Sound Porto 2026
Jul 26, 2026 – Fuji Rock