MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY is back with news of a new album release for 2026, ‘In My Mind There’s A Photograph’, and today reveals its lead single: “Cattle Bells”.
PRE-SAVE THE NEW ALBUM HERE
PRE-SAVE THE “CATTLE BELLS” SINGLE HERE
Following on from the critical and commercial success of the previous record, 'In My Mind There's A Room’ album, Colin MacIntyre AKA Mull Historical Society will return this year with another literary inspired marvel.
Due for release on 29 May via the LNFG label, this brand new collection of songs will feature lyrical contributions from a panoply of world-leading authors, all of whom were asked to reflect on a single significant photo to them. Amongst the collaborators on ‘In My Mind There’s A Photograph’ are best-sellers, Pulitzer, Booker, Costa, Women's Prize & Saltire Award-winners, including: Irvine Welsh, Ali Smith, Len Pennie, Jehan Bseiso, Louise Welsh, Irenosen Okojie, Paul Lynch, Colum McCann, Yiyun Lee, Alan Johnson, Dan Richards and Sir Alexander McCall Smith.
With Colin playing the ‘Elton to their Bernie', coupling his musical idiosyncrasies to their affecting words, together they have created 12 songs of vivid photographic realisation and a very real emotional resonance. The first of these collaborations is revealed today, “Cattle Bells”, which features words from Sir Alexander McCall Smith, acclaimed author of the ‘No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency’ series among countless other feats.
Set in Botswana, “Cattle Bells” finds the veteran writer reflecting on a photo of him sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful surrounds of the Kalahari (pictured on the single artwork), contemplating on life, time, being in the moment, and reacquainting with his younger self. A rumination on what home really means to us, Colin explains of the track:
“I have loved working with Sandy; he is such a generous and inspirational writer and man, and I am honoured to have this personal story from him of connection with ourselves and where we feel at home as the lead single off the album. The opening line, ’This must be me…’, with the intriguing use of the word ‘must’, strikes me as a line only a novelist could summon. I have always been inspired by Paul Simon and his Gracelands album, and this song allowed me to achieve an ambition of working with the glorious London African Gospel Choir”.
Speaking about the finished recording of “Cattle Bells”, Sir Alexander states:
“Colin has made a lovely job of capturing my words and photograph. “Cattle Bells” is a beautiful, rather haunting piece.”
“Cattle Bells” was recorded and mixed during Summer/Autumn 2025 at Tobermory’s Bb Studios on the Isle of Mull, produced by MacIntyre alongside the twelve tracks that comprise upcoming album ‘In My Mind There’s A Photograph’, and engineered by Gordon Maclean.
Alongside the album’s release on 29 May, 2026 finds Colin in the most creative and prolific form of his career. An established author in his own right, MacIntyre's fifth book, and the second in his Mull Mysteries Crime series, ‘An Island Burning’, is also out in April on Black & White Publishing/Bonnier Books. Elsewhere, his multi-genre musical, ‘Culloden’, for which he has written the script, book and music, also goes into pre-production in the first half of this year. Plus, with the 25th anniversary of his Gold-selling, album-of-the-year-polls-topper, ‘Loss’ coming around, expect further news on some special anniversary plans in due course…
Accompanying the upcoming release of ‘In My Mind There’s A Photograph’, fans can also expect a run of brand new live shows featuring appearances from some of his collaborating authors - standby for further details on those imminently.
Opening-up on his current creative streak and what to expect in 2026, Colin adds:
“2025 has been an incredibly productive year for me of making, making, making... juggling across many projects — writing and recording the album, writing my new novel, and my new ‘Culloden’ musical — and finding connection in all the work — and so 2026 is the year of sharing, sharing, sharing.”
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