There are few bands that have defined the shape of alternative music as profoundly as R.E.M. From their jangly beginnings in the early ‘80s to their exploration of glam rock, folk, and sonic experimentation, the Athens, Georgia quartet created a catalog as eclectic as it was influential. Now, 40 years since their debut, we find ourselves revisiting New Adventures in Hi-Fi — a record that feels just as adventurous today as it did in 1996.
For the album’s 25th anniversary, Michael Stipe and Mike Mills joined Kyle Meredith to reflect on this landmark release, the road-worn adrenaline that infused it, and the unexpected beauty of hearing R.E.M. reinterpreted by a new generation of artists.
Released in the fall of 1996, New Adventures in Hi-Fi was born from a Monster — quite literally. The songs were largely written and recorded during soundchecks and off-days on the mammoth Monster tour of 1995, a year-long odyssey that saw the band traversing the globe in the wake of grunge and glam resurgence. But while the record’s creation was tangled with the road, Michael is quick to point out: it wasn’t a road record.
“This is not at all a record about a band on the road or my experience being in a band on the road,” he says. “I was never an autobiographical writer, and this was no exception.”
Instead, the album reflects a different kind of journey — one of transition, change, and discovery. Michael had moved from New York to Los Angeles in the early ‘90s, and that shift in scenery opened up a whole new way of seeing America. “I was living and discovering the American West for the first time,” he recalls. That sense of expanse and exploration permeates the record.
Mike Mills captures it perfectly: “It’s a record about transition. Literal transition — being on the road, moving from city to city. And also transitions we didn’t see coming. It was Bill [Berry]’s last album with us. It was a new record contract. There was movement everywhere.”
While the Monster tour gave the album its kinetic energy, much of Michael’s work happened afterward, when the chaos of nightly performances had settled. The melodies and arrangements had sunk into his subconscious, giving him the mental space to hone the lyrics. “I had a lot more headspace to think about the lyrics after the tour was over,” he says.
The result is an album that crackles with spontaneity yet feels deliberate. Songs leap from style to style — the punk thrash of “The Wake-Up Bomb,” the noir balladry of “Electrolite,” the haunting solemnity of “Leave” — yet there’s a cohesion in the velocity and the urgency they share.
Mike recalls one moment of pure spontaneity: “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us was written in about three and a half minutes. Bill was playing a drum part, and I started playing piano. It just happened.” The piano solo that made it onto the track was a first take — raw, imperfect, and exactly right. “I tried to channel [Thelonious Monk’s] idea that there are no wrong notes.”
There’s a subtle thread of religious imagery woven through the album, but Michael is careful to explain it’s not what it might seem. “I’m not a follower of scripture,” he says, “but religion is a world I grew up in. It’s a useful tool for dealing with big themes.”
Take “Undertow,” for example. The song’s protagonist wrestles with denial and ultimately surrenders to the pull of the deep. “In the last line, he accepts he’s drowning and decides to breathe water. It’s a leap of faith at the very end.”
Michael’s penchant for writing from perspectives other than his own pushed him to explore ideas beyond his personal experience. “It challenges me as a writer. It puts me in places I don’t belong and forces me to see things differently.”
The New Adventures in Hi-Fi deluxe edition offers a chance to rediscover the album’s richness, with remastered tracks, rare B-sides, and a documentary that sheds light on the album’s creation. For Michael, the album still holds its place as his favorite R.E.M. record (“joined now by Reveal,” he admits). The adrenaline, the landscapes, the characters — it all adds up to a moment that feels uniquely alive.
As R.E.M.’s legacy continues to grow, artists are finding new ways to reimagine their songs. Recent covers by Jason Isbell (“Driver 8,” “Night Swimming”) and Eddie Vedder (“Drive” for Sean Penn’s Flag Day soundtrack) have given the band’s catalog fresh life. “For the longest time, we seemed like the most uncoverable band,” Michael says. “It feels super good to hear these songs now.”
Mike adds, “It’s exciting to see your work reinterpreted by new generations of musicians. It’s like the songs are still alive and evolving.”
Even as R.E.M. remains in our rearview, Michael and Mike are still pushing forward. Michael’s recent collaboration with Aaron Dessner (The National) is a sign of more solo work to come, while Mike is keeping busy with The Baseball Project, classical concertos, and a series called R.E.M. Explored that reimagines the band’s music with orchestral arrangements.
“We’ve got a lot more coming,” Mike promises. “Stay tuned.”
New Adventures in Hi-Fi might be a product of 1996, but the journey — the movement, the change, the discovery — continues. And with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills at the helm, there’s always another adventure on the horizon.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
