‘Parks and Recreation’ band Mouse Rat to release debut album with ode to Li’l Sebastian
Mouse Rat, the beloved rock band from Pawnee, Indiana, is finally releasing its debut album.
That’s right, the fictional band from the imaginary town in “Parks and Recreation” plans to release its first album later this year, and it will be awesome.
No, really — it’s called “The Awesome Album.”
Mouse Rat announced the album news Wednesday on the 10th anniversary of the funeral of iconic miniature horse L’il Sebastian. The band, led by Chris Pratt’s character Andy Dwyer, released a music video Wednesday for “5,000 Candles in the Wind,” which the band performed on the funeral in the show.
“The Awesome Album” includes many of the songs Mouse Rat performed on “Parks and Rec,” with an appearance from Duke Silver, the saxophone-playing alter ego of Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman).
Dualtone Records joked that it partnered with Entertainment 720, the fictional media venture created by “Parks and Recreation’s” Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Ben Schwartz), to help bring the album to fruition.
The album will be released on Aug. 27, Variety reported, but it’s already available for pre-order for digital, as well as CD, cassette and vinyl. For details on how to pre-order the album, visit Dualtone Store.
“Be sure to grab your copy of what is sure to be the breakout album of 2021, already being heralded by Ron Swanson as ‘highly competent,’” the store said.
Some local retailers, including Kentucky for Kentucky, are selling exclusive merchandise coinciding with the album release. The Kentucky store is selling an “Ice Town Blue Edition” version of the vinyl record.
“Parks and Recreation” aired from 2009 to 2015 on NBC and helped transform Pratt, the lead singer of Mouse Rat, into a major movie star.
“The Awesome Album” track list
1. “5,000 Candles in the Wind (Bye Bye Li’l Sebastian)“
2. “The Pit”
3. “Sex Hair”
4. “Catch Your Dream” (Feat. Duke Silver)
5. “Two Birds Holding Hands”
6. “Ann Song”
7. “The Way You Look Tonight”
8. “Menace Ball”
9. “Remember”
10. “I Get A Kick Out Of You”
11. “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.
12. “Lovely Tonight”
13. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
14. “I Only Have Eyes For You”
15. “Pickled Ginger” (Performed by Land Ho!)
16. “Cold Water” (Performed by Land Ho!’s Scott Tanner with Duke Silver)
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 3:22 PM.