News
Jenny from Thebes Due Out October 27 via Merge
Sep 26, 2023
By Mark Redfern
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Jenny from Thebes, on October 27 via Merge. Now they have shared its third single, “Murder at the 18th St. Garage,” via a music video. More
Plus L’Rain, Anjimile, GUM, Patio, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 25, 2023
By Mark Redfern (with Andy Von Pip)
Welcome to the 26th Songs of the Week of 2023. Last week’s Songs of the Week was our first one after a month-long hiatus and there were a lot of strong choices (plus we put together a playlist of all the great songs we missed while on vacation). This week, the pickings weren’t as plentiful, but there were still some new tracks we liked. More
Jenny from Thebes Due Out October 27 via Merge
Aug 23, 2023
By Mark Redfern
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Jenny from Thebes, on October 27 via Merge. Now they have shared its second single, “Fresh Tattoo,” and announced some new December tour dates. More
Jenny from Thebes Due Out October 27 via Merge
Jul 19, 2023
By Kat Ramkumar
Folk rock band, The Mountain Goats have announced their new album Jenny from Thebes and shared its lead single “Clean Slate.” More
Issue 71 Also Features Interviews with Angel Olsen, M83, The New Pornographers, John Cale, Indigo De Souza, Lael Neale, Phoenix, Dry Cleaning, Miss Grit, Sleaford Mods, The WAEVE, Shame, Bartees Strange, Caroline Rose, and More
Apr 05, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, Issue 71, which features Weyes Blood and Black Belt Eagle Scout on the two covers. Issue 71 also features interviews with Angel Olsen, M83, The New Pornographers, John Cale, Indigo De Souza, Lael Neale, Phoenix, Dry Cleaning, Miss Grit, Sleaford Mods, The WAEVE, Shame, Bartees Strange, Caroline Rose, Stella Donnelly, Florist, Hot Chip, black midi, Jockstrap, Horsegirl, Blondshell, Sleaford Mods, Beth Orton, and others. More
Sep 14, 2022
By Laura Studarus
John Darnielle lives purely in the creative moment, whether he is crafting songs for his band The Mountain Goats, writing novels like his newest work Devil House, or simply trying to figure out why his phone has duplicated all of his contacts. More
Bleed Out Due Out August 19 via Merge
Aug 02, 2022
By Joey Arnone
The Mountain Goats have shared a new single, “Mark on You.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming album, Bleed Out, which was produced by Alicia Bognanno of Bully and will be out on August 19 via Merge. More
Bleed Out Due Out August 19 via Merge
Jul 11, 2022
By Joey Arnone
The Mountain Goats have shared a new single, “Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming album, Bleed Out, which was produced by Alicia Bognanno of Bully and will be out on August 19 via Merge. More
Plus Florist, Andrew Bird, Angel Olsen, of Montreal, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 03, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 22nd Songs of the Week of 2022. Thanks to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, it was a fairly quiet week for new singles (or at least new singles we loved). We even considered skipping Songs of the Week this week, but found enough we liked for a Top 10 list. More
Bleed Out Due Out August 19 via Merge
Jun 02, 2022
By Joey Arnone
The Mountain Goats have announced the release of a new album, Bleed Out, which was produced by Alicia Bognanno of Bully, and shared a video for the album’s lead single, “Training Montage.” They have also announced a new tour in support of the album. More
The Sound of Yourself Due Out September 24 via Merge
Sep 09, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Mac McCaughan of Superchunk (and also co-founder of Merge Records) is releasing a new solo album, The Sound of Yourself, on September 24 via Merge (of course). Now he has shared its third single, the atmospheric and dreamy “Burn a Fax,” via a video that features a snail. The song features guest vocals from TORRES (aka MacKenzie Scott) and saxophone from Matt Douglas of The Mountain Goats. More
Dark in Here Due Out June 25 via Merge
Jun 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Dark in Here, on June 25 via Merge. Now they have shared the album’s title track. Listen below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates. More
Plus St. Vincent, Leon Bridges, Sleater-Kinney, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 14, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 18th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week the CDC relaxed mask guidelines for those who have been vaccinated, helping to further pave the way for live music to return this fall. Although, right now there’s no clear way for venues or stores to check if someone is vaccinated. More
Dark in Here Due Out June 25 via Merge
May 11, 2021
By Mark Redfern
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Dark in Here, on June 25 via Merge. Now they have shared a new song from it, “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums.” More
Issue 68 Out Now and Also Includes Julien Baker, Wolf Alice, Tegan and Sara, Arlo Parks, Fleet Foxes, Jessie Ware, Shamir, Lucy Dacus, Valerie June, David Byrne, Julian Casablancas, and Much More
Apr 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, which is out now nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere) and available to buy directly from us here. The issue features Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the two covers and is another edition of The Protest Issue, which examines the intersection of music and politics and features musicians photographed with protest signs of their own making. More
Dark in Here Due Out June 25 via Merge
Apr 19, 2021
By Mark Redfern
The Mountain Goats have announced a new album, Dark in Here, and shared its first single, “Mobile,” via a lyric video for it. More
Getting Into Knives Due Out October 23 via Merge
Oct 13, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Getting Into Knives, on October 23 via Merge. Now they have shared another song from it, “Picture of My Dress.” They have also announced two online concerts.
More
Getting Into Knives Due Out October 23 via Merge
Oct 01, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Getting Into Knives, on October 23 via Merge. Now they have shared a video for the album’s previously shared second single, “Get Famous,” in which the band are bobbleheads. More
Plus Tim Heidecker, Sufjan Stevens, Future Islands, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 18, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 37th Songs of the Week of 2020. Just as we were finishing up this week’s list we got word that beloved Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse. R.I.P. a true legend, the Notorious RBG. More
Getting Into Knives Due Out October 23 via Merge
Sep 14, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, Getting Into Knives, on October 23 via Merge. Now they have shared its second single, “Get Famous.” It’s a horn-backed song that makes fun of wanting to be famous. More
Plus Marie Davidson, The Flaming Lips, TRAAMS, Future Islands, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 14, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Jennifer Irving)
Welcome to the 32nd Songs of the Week of 2020. This week’s big political news was Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announcing his highly capable running mate, Senator Kamala Harris. More
Getting Into Knives Due Out October 23 via Merge
Aug 11, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats have announced a new album, Getting Into Knives, and shared its first single, “As Many Candles As Possible,” via a lyric video for it. More
Plus Cate Le Bon and Bradford Cox, Chromatics, Jaakko Eino Kalevi, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 04, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. We had to skip it last week because we were too busy announcing our new print issue, the My Favorite Album Issue with Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney on the covers (buy it here), and also we weren’t overly inspired by last week’s selection of new tracks. So this week we cover the best songs of the last two weeks. More
Issue 66 Features Musicians and Actors on Their All-Time Favorite Albums, including Tegan and Sara, Wilco, Weyes Blood, Sigur Rós, Fred Armisen, Topher Grace, Jay Baruchel, Low, and more
Sep 27, 2019
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the My Favorite Album Issue, our new print issue in which we speak to musicians and actors about their all-time favorite album. The issue features Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney on the two covers and is available to buy directly from us here, as well as being distributed in stores nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere). More
In League With Dragons Out Now via Merge
Sep 25, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats released a new album, In League With Dragons, back in April via Merge. Now they have shared a new B-side, “Get High and Listen to The Cure,” which was fittingly written for 2017’s Goths. It appears on the B-side of the 7-inch single for In League With Dragons single “Welcome to Passaic.” More
In League With Dragons Due Out April 26 via Merge
Apr 12, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, In League With Dragons, on April 26 via Merge. Now they have shared another song from it, “Sicilian Crest.” More
July 24-27, 2019, in Carrboro and Durham, NC - Destroyer, Wye Oak, Waxahatchee, The Mountain Goats, Superchunk, and More
Feb 06, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Merge Records are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a hometown festival July 24-27, 2019, in Carrboro and Durham, NC. The four-day festival is set to feature more than 30 artists and the initial lineup has been announced. More
Plus King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Cass McCombs, Interpol, Stella Donnelly, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 01, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
After three strong weeks of Songs of the Week starting out 2019 right, this week we hit a bit of a lull. Whereas last week we had a supersized edition, with a Top 12 instead of our usual Top 10, this week we could only muster up enthusiasm for a Top 7. More
In League With Dragons Due Out April 26 via Merge
Jan 28, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats have announced a new album, In League With Dragons, and shared its first single, “Younger.” In League With Dragons is due out April 26 via Merge. More
Plus The Weeknd, Huey Lewis and the News, Father John Misty, Broken Social Scene, Jamie xx, Mac DeMarco, Jessie Ware, Perfume Genius, Lucy Dacus, James Blake, and More
Apr 03, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Outside Lands have announced their 2018 lineup. The festival goes down August 10 - 12 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The headliners are Florence + The Machine, Janet Jackson, and The Weeknd. More
I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas Due Out April 6 via Merge
Jan 25, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Amanda Palmer has covered The Mountain Goats’ “The Mess Inside” for the I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats podcast. The podcast is a conversation series featuring Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle and Joseph Fink, creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead. More
Examining Trump's Response to the White Supremacist Rally and Violence in Charlottesville, Virginia
Aug 18, 2017
By Stephen Mayne
With the President outdoing himself in a bid to appear like a terrible human being, there’s only really one thing to talk about this week. Still, read on and you might find a few positive developments outside his Charlottesville debacle. More
One Step Forward, Too Many Steps Back
Jul 28, 2017
By Stephen Mayne
This week Jake Snider from Minus the Bear discusses the future of the right, the state of the country, and his move from one side of the political spectrum to the other. We also round-up a busy and unpleasant week for Trump, particularly when it comes to healthcare and transgender rights, plus there’s a little Iron & Wine to close. More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Donald Trump's Presidency
Mar 31, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
“Our First 100 Days” is an anti-President Donald Trump project. The good folks behind the “30 Days, 30 Songs” anti-Trump campaign during the election have teamed up with Secretly Group for “Our First 100 Days.” More
Goths Due Out May 19 via Merge
Feb 22, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats have announced a new album, Goths, and shared its first single, “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds.” Goths is due out May 19 via Merge. More
"Our First 100 Days" Will Include a New Song Every Day for the First 100 Days of Trump's Presidency
Jan 13, 2017
By Christopher Roberts
During the election many indie rock musicians released anti-Donald Trump songs and likely assumed, like many liberals and Hillary Clinton supporters did, that Trump didn’t have a strong chance of winning. More
As Part of Amazon's Songs of the Summer Playlist
May 04, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats have shared a cover of War’s “Summer.” The cover is part of Amazon’s Songs of the Summer playlist, which will be available June 3 and will also feature new songs or covers by Baio (listen to his new song for the playlist, “Don’t Fight Fate,” here), Laura Gibson, Surfer Blood, Blitzen Trapper, and more. More
Beat the Champ Out Now via Merge
Aug 05, 2015
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle recently announced a brief “All Roads Lead to Lincoln” solo mini-tour to go down this September. Now he has announced a full band Mountain Goats U.S. tour to happen this October. More
John Darnielle Solo Shows This September
Jul 14, 2015
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle has announced a brief “All Roads Lead to Lincoln” solo mini-tour to go down this September. It’s in support of the band’s recent wrestling themed album, Beat the Champ. More
May 20, 2015
By Christopher Roberts
The Mountain Goats’ new album, Beat the Champ, is John Darnielle’s ode to professional wrestling, so it makes sense that the video for “The Legend of Chavo Guerrero” would be wrestling-themed. But it goes beyond that, it features wrestler Chavo Guerrero himself. More
Perform "Foreign Object" and “Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph Of”
Apr 07, 2015
By Mike Hilleary
Last night, promoting the release of their brand new LP Beat the Champ, The Mountain Goats were welcomed as the musical guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers. More
Mar 31, 2015
By Mike Hilleary
Next week The Mountain Goats will release their fifteenth studio album Beat the Champ. More
New Album, Beat The Champ Out This April
Mar 02, 2015
By Mike Hilleary
The Mountain Goats have shared a brand new track from their upcoming album Beat the Champ. More
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Covers Grateful Dead
May 02, 2014
By Mike Hilleary
Earlier this week North Carolina psych-folk outfit Megafaun performed a hometown gig in Durham at The Pinhook. More
The Mountain Goats Twin Inhuman Highway Fiends Tour 2014
Apr 02, 2014
By Laura Studarus
John Darnielle and Peter Hughes of The Moutnain Goats are embarking on a two person tour that they’re calling “The Mountain Goats Twin Inhuman Highway Fiends Tour 2014.” More
Non-Album Track From 2004's We Shall All Be Healed
Jul 19, 2013
By Mike Hilleary
John Darnielle, musical mastermind behind The Mountain Goats, has unearthed a non-album track from 2004’s We Shall All Be Healed titled “You & Me & A High Balcony.” More
Featuring "Alternate Configurations"
Apr 09, 2013
By Mike Hilleary
Releasing their most recent album Transcendental Youth last year, The Mountain Goats have announced plans for a new tour starting in June. More
Satan's Work in the Suburbs
Oct 09, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
The music video for The Mountain Goats’ Transcendental Youth single “Cry for Judas” has an amalgamation of parts. More
Announce Second Leg of U.S. Tour
Sep 24, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Poised to release their latest album Transcendental Youth next week The Mountain Goats have made the entire album available to stream online. More
The Walkmen, The Mountain Goats, Opossom, GZA, DIIV, Dent May, Foxygen, The Love Language, Com Truise, and more
Aug 22, 2012
By Michele Yamamoto
The CMJ Music Marathon 2012 has just released the initial line up for its October 16-20 run in New York City. Artists include The Walkmen, The Mountain Goats, The Love Language, Dent May, Kimbra, GZA, OFF!, Foxygen, Opossom, The Stepkids, Arthur Beatrice, Com Truise, DIIV, Exitmusic, Electric Guest, Prince Rama, The Presets, and more. More
New Album Transcendental Youth Out Oct. 2
Jul 31, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Recently announcing the release of their new album Transcendental Youth, and providing fans with the first taste of its material with “Cry for Judas,” The Mountain Goats have revealed that they will begin a new tour this fall starting this September. More
New Album Transcendental Youth Out Oct. 2
Jul 25, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats will soon release their latest album Transcendental Youth on Oct. 2. More
Transcendental Youth Out Oct. 2
Jul 09, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
The Mountain Goats have announced that they will release their 14th studio album Transcendental Youth on Oct. 2 via Merge. More
From Work Transcendental Youth
Mar 29, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
As they promised they would, The Mountain Goats and Owen Pallett performed a number of new songs at the Ecstatic Music Festival earlier this week at the Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan, joined by classical vocal quartet Anonymous 4. More
Perform "The Smokey Life"
Feb 07, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
Continuing their celebration of Leonard Cohen’s latest LP Old Ideas, Columbia Records have offered up another entry to their Old Ideas with New Friends video series. More
John Darnielle Will Perform a Special Set at the Festival on March 24
Nov 17, 2011
By Mi Tran
The Mountain Goats frontman, John Darnielle will perform new songs from Transcendental Youth with vocal group Anonymous 4 at Ecstatic Music Festival on March 24. The songs were arranged by Owen Pallett. More
Animated Video Tells of an Adventuresome Tale
Jul 27, 2011
By Margot Cooper Gruen
The Mountain Goats have released a video for “Estate Sale Sign,” off of their March release via Merge, All Eternals Deck. More
Apr 27, 2011
By Laura Studarus
In support of recently released album All Eternals Tape Deck, The Mountain Goats are hitting the road. We have the dates. More
'All Eternals Deck' Drops March 29
Feb 28, 2011
By Lauren Barbato
Whether you want to listen to All Eternals Deck in its entirety or track-by-track, NPR will share the album until its official release March 29. More
All Eternals Tape Deck Out 3/29
Jan 19, 2011
By Laura Studarus
The Mountain Goats are taking to the road in support of upcoming album, All Eternals Tape Deck (out March 29 via Merge). We have the dates. More
Track Not Included on Next Album
Dec 14, 2010
By Lauren Barbato
After hitting his 5,000 Twitter followers mark yesterday, Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle tweeted an exclusive audio download. We have the link. More
Dec 09, 2010
By Laura Studarus
On March 29, The Mountain Goats will release their newest studio album All Eternals Deck via Merge. More
Interviews
Mar 01, 2021
By Larry Mullin
Like one of the offbeat characters in his novelistic songs, John Darnielle was stopped dead in his tracks in a trinket shop by a matchbox sized notebook emblazoned with a moniker that didn’t suit him: “Rodeo Queen.” More
"I realized that Don't Break the Oath features the greatest guitar riffs in the whole history of music."
Mar 03, 2020
By Matt Fink (As Told To)
I was living in Portland in ‘85-‘86, and I wouldn’t say I was an apprentice speed freak, because I wasn’t on speed all of the time, but I was quite often taking really hard speed-crystal meth. More
Reviews
May 14, 2019
By Michael James Hall
Following 2017’s rightly lauded Goths, John Darnielle and his band The Mountain Goats return with a new LP, produced by the always magnificent Owen Pallett, and, to some unknown extent, telling the tale of a seaside community ruled over by a kindly wizard. More
Mar 27, 2017
By Frank Valish
John Darnielle’s second book is a haunting story that will get under your skin. More
Apr 08, 2015
By Zach Hollwede
North Carolina-based singer/songwriter John Darnielle has been busy since The Mountain Goats’ last album, Transcendental Youth, was released in 2012. In addition to raising two young sons, Darnielle found the time to write his first novel, Wolf in White Van, which was nominated for the 2014 National Book Award in fiction. More
Oct 08, 2012
By David Brusie
Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle has a new baby, but that hasn’t softened his love for dark subject matter. (“Please,” he wrote on his website in July. “May the baby grow up to spit in my face if I should pose that hard.”) Transcendental Youth, despite its frequent use of a punchy horn section, is bleak, even by Darnielle’s standards. It’s also one of the band’s best. More
Mar 29, 2011
By Anthony Lombardi
John Darnielle has always been at his best when working within the confines of a theme. Whether spinning tales of doomed romance or stories inspired by biblical verses, the device of focus has always effectively harnessed his strengths, creating powerfully cohesive statements out of disparate vignettes and character studies. Fleshing out his already superlative songwriting with the most sympathetic band he’s ever worked with (Peter Hughes on bass and Jon Wurster on drums), The Mountain Goats have hit something of a second stride in the past few years. More