Massive Attack and Tom Waits release Boots on the Ground

Massive Attack released Boots on the Ground with Tom Waits on April 16, 2026. The collaboration marks their first new single since Eutopia and later entered the UK chart at No. 18, according to Official Charts.

The release details

The single arrived through Play It Again Sam and was listed by the band's store with an April 16 release date. It also appears on Apple Music with the same date and one track, which gives the release a clear, dated frame.

That matters because Massive Attack have spent 2026 balancing new music and live activity. The band paired the release with a film and a vinyl edition that includes Tom Waits' spoken-word B-side The Fly, a detail that underlines how tightly audio and visual work are linked here. die offizielle Store-Seite

UK chart return

Official Charts later showed Boots on the Ground at No. 18 on the Massive Attack/Tom Waits artist page. That gives the single a concrete chart finish in the UK, even if the song was not framed as a mass-market pop release.

For a band best known for slow-burn records and long gaps between projects, the number is the relevant point. It places the collaboration above the level of a one-off web upload and gives the release a measurable afterlife beyond launch week. der UK-Chartbericht von Official Charts

Why this release fits Massive Attack

Musically, Boots on the Ground sits close to the band's political side and to the cinematic dub-and-trip-hop language that defined Mezzanine, Protection and Heligoland. Tom Waits' voice pushes the song further into noir territory than a standard guest feature would.

That combination is also consistent with Massive Attack's wider 2026 strategy. The group linked new material to live appearances across Europe and Australia, and the single acts as a studio counterpart to that route rather than as a detached throwback.

Where Massive Attack stand now

Massive Attack played Berlin's Zitadelle Spandau on June 7, 2026, and then continued with summer dates in Australia, including Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The band is currently without an announced future live date beyond those listed appearances.

Der musikalische Kern

Massive Attack built their reputation on sparse low-end pressure, guest vocalists and a dark studio palette that helped define trip-hop from Bristol outward. Their key works, especially Blue Lines and Mezzanine, still shape how any new release is heard.

Was als Nächstes ansteht

Massive Attack have no currently announced future live date after their 2026 run.

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