Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan has spoken about a new box set that is in the works for his side-project supergroup Zwan.
Earlier this year, Zwan’s only album ‘Mary Star Of The Sea‘ turned 20, though the album has never been made available on streaming services.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Corgan was asked whether the Zwan album might be getting a reissue at some point. He replied: “Actually, I’m working on the box set right now. I think there’s 65 unreleased songs.”
On when it might be released, he added: “Not sure. I’m setting up a new business model with the Thirty Tigers company that we’re working with. Atum is a good model. I think I’ll be able to release these projects through them. That’s because they can handle the independent record stores and all that type of stuff for ordering, because otherwise I’m just putting it out myself and that’s very difficult.
“I’m working on the box as we speak. I’m very excited because honestly, I personally think the best Zwan music didn’t get released — the acoustic side of the band, which is really what we should have done, and not tried to do an alternative pop record. That would’ve been the stronger effort, I think, and a more timeless thing.”
In September last year Smashing Pumpkins announced the new three-part rock opera LP, ‘ATUM’, serving as a sequel to their classic double records ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’ (1995) and ‘Machina/The Machines Of God’ (2000).
‘Act I’ was released in November, with ‘Act II’ following in February. The band have now confirmed that the album will be complete with the release of ‘Act III’ on May 5, delayed from April 21. ‘Spellbinding’, its first preview, was released in March.
Corgan recently told NME about his ambitions for the 33-song project, explaining: “Because there’s a lot of people who believe less is more these days. I’m on the opposite side – I actually think more is more!”
In March, Smashing Pumpkins headlined a new festival in Mexico called The World Is A Vampire alongside Interpol, and then announced a US tour of the same name, taking place across July, August and September.
Interpol will join the band on the tour, with Rival Sons and Stone Temple Pilots also on board for select dates. Tickets are available here.