Mdou Moctar Releases Tears of Injustice

Released in 2024, Mdou Moctar's Funeral for Justice is a raucous, distorted guitar-driven album that, along with bands such as Tinariwen, turns the idea of "world music" on its head. The heavy tones of Moctar's guitar plus driving and trancey grooves rooted by drum kit and electric bass, make the music just as at home in front of rock audiences as it does for fans of the "world music" genre. 2025 brings the release of Tears of Injustice, an album of acoustic guitar and hand percussion-driven versions of Funeral for Justice. The tempos and arrangements on Tears of Injustice make for a album that is decidely different than its rock companion predecessor.

We interviewed the band's producer and bass player, Mikey Coltun, for our DISCussion podcast, and he also produced Tears of Injustice, played bass and guitar, and engineered the album along with Ahmoudou Madassane and Alex Conroy. Mixed by Seth Manchester and mastered by Heba Kadry.