Marcus King Announces New Rick Rubin-Produced Album ‘Mood Swings’ & Extensive Tour
Watch the lyric video for “Mood Swings,” the title track and lead single from King’s upcoming new album.
By Scott Bernstein Feb 8, 2024 • 9:05 am PST

Photo by JM Collective
Guitar hero Marcus King will release a new album entitled Mood Swings via American/Republic Records on April 5. King unveiled the title track from the Rick Rubin-produced LP and a full slate of 2024 headlining tour dates on both sides of the Atlantic in support of the record.
It was Rick Rubin who reached out to Marcus King about the pair working together. Rubin cold-called the South Carolina native after attending one of his shows. Marcus quickly accepted the invite to hit the studio with one of his heroes. Work on the 11-track LP began in 2020 at Rubin’s Shangri-La facility in Malibu, California. Yet, the majority of Mood Swings was recorded in 2022 during secret sessions held at Shangri-La and in Italy.
The music on Mood Swings was informed by a particularly bleak period in King’s life during which he was suffering from mental health issues, drinking and substance abuse. Marcus had hit rock bottom while touring North America and considered drinking enough to kill himself. “I had an escape route already decided for myself and a backup if that didn’t work,” King revealed of the situation happening around the same time he entered Dan Auerbach‘s studio to record his previous album, 2022’s Young Blood.
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Marcus King credits Rick Rubin for giving him advice that led to a change in perspective. “He helped me view mental health as a writing partner in a way,” explained King. “I’ve learned it can give me that creative spark.” Press materials call Mood Swings “an album with a message of hope” despite the tough topics Marcus addressed. King and Rubin also put Marcus’ voice at the forefront of the new record. “There was no hiding behind the guitar at all,” King added.
Rick Rubin was extremely pleased with how Mood Swings turned out. “I love the way listening to this album makes me feel,” Rubin explained. “I can’t think of another project quite like this one. Marcus’s playing and singing are from another planet.”
Marcus King will hit the road hard to bring the Mood Swings Tour to the masses. King added headlining tour dates on the West Coast and in the Midwest and Northeast from May through July to a series of previously announced shows including slots opening for Chris Stapleton and festival appearances.
King launches a fall tour on September 4 in Vancouver and swings through North America until October 13. He’ll then spend a month in the UK and Europe from October 17 – November 12.
General on-sales begin on Friday, February 16 at 10 a.m. local time after a series of presales next week. Ticketing links and the full routing are laid out below:
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Marcus King shared the following about the album’s title track, “Mood Swings,” stating:
“In the early summer of 2020 I arrived at Shangri-La for my first meeting with my hero, the legend, Mr. Rick Rubin. As soon as Rick & I met it was like a spark in the room! I immediately felt welcomed, appreciated and mutually admired. Rick and I had a wonderful first introduction and he left me in the capable hands of his Ace engineer Jason Lader, an incredible engineer who would become a dear dear friend. Jason and I toured the space and just for fun decided to track something, what we tracked was the title track “Mood Swings.” I laid down guitar and vocals, we added Rhythm Ace R77 drum machine with tape delay to achieve the swing we desired, added bass & piano and after half an hour the track was finished. The track and album title “Mood Swings” is a play on the swinging nature of the material while also referencing my up and down shifts in mood while I was either abusing the wrong substances, in between mood stabilizing meds and anti-psychotics, self-medication on top of that, along with a foot locker FULL of repressed childhood trauma all being taken out on my relationship at the time.”
Watch the lyric video for “Mood Swings” below:
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Mood Swings Tracklist
- Mood Swings
- F*ck My Life Up Again
- Soul It Screams
- Save Me
- Hero
- Delilah
- Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)
- This Far Gone
- Bipolar Love
- Me Or Tennessee
- Cadillac