A few months ago, the Mountain Goats' masterpiece The Sunset Tree celebrated its 20th anniversary. For other bands, an occasion like that might be an opportunity to slow down, or maybe to do one of those album-playthrough tours for more money. That is not the Mountain Goats way. The band did release a remastered anniversary edition of the album, but they didn't even include bonus tracks. This band never sits still for long, and they've always got another record in the works. This fall, they'll follow up 2023's Jenny From Thebes with a new LP called Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan. This one happens to feature a couple of big-name collaborators.
Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is the first Mountain Goats album since the genuinely shocking departure of Peter Hughes, who's been playing bass for them for well over 20 years. Hughes was the first full-time Mountain Goat besides John Darnielle, so that's a big change. Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is dedicated to him. On the new album, the Mountain Goats are officially a trio, with Darnielle joined by his two other longtime bandmates, drummer John Wurster and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas.
Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is coming out on Cadmean Dawn Records, the band's own label. Matt Douglas produced the LP, and bassist Cameron Ralston joins in on most of the LP, though I guess he's not an official Mountain Goat yet. On two tracks, however, the band gets help from former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, a giant in the underground rock world. I never would've pictured Stinson as a part-time Mountain Goat. I never would've pictured Lin-Manuel Miranda as a part-time Mountain Goat, either.
You know who Lin-Manuel Miranda is. I'm not going to bother coming up with some description for him. On the new Mountain Goats album, Miranda sings backup on four songs, including the new single "Armies Of The Lord." Darnielle and Miranda are mutual fans, and Darnielle posted a picture of the two of them getting food together in New York a while ago. It's a bit surprising to see the two of them working together, but I can promise you that Johnny D does not care whether or not you think Miranda is cool. (Nobody asked me, but I like him. I think he's great at what he does. Team Mountain Goats on this one.) Harpist Mikaela Davis also plays on every song, and Bonny Light Horseman's Josh Kaufman, a past collaborator, plays guitar.
Like most Mountain Goats albums, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is built around a running concept. A press release says that it tells the story of "a small crew shipwrecked on a desert island, where three surviving members -- an unnamed narrator, Captain Peter Balkan, and Adam -- are plagued by diminishing resources and apocalyptic visions." Sick! Sounds great! The new LP starts with an overture. Given Lin-Manuel Miranda's involvement, I wonder if there's some thought of turning the record into a stage play. In the album's Bandcamp description, John Darnielle says that the album's concept came to him in a dream:
In the night of May 29, 2023, I had a dream. Waking from it, I transcribed what I could remember of it into the note-taking app I keep on my phone. The note reads: “through this fire across from peter balkan #dream. It was the title of a work, not sure which form.” The next time I sat at the piano to see if I had ideas, I got the notion of writing a work that proceeded from its title, and that tried to make real the dreamlike grammar of that title. This album is that work. Since its protagonist shares a first name with our longstanding bassist Peter Hughes, who bid farewell to the sea in 2024, this album is dedicated to him -- he who served aboard the good ship Mountain Goats for so many years: may the fire always keep you warm, and may your nights in its light be as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach.
Special thanks: to Jerry Marotta and all at Dreamland; to Ryan Matteson and all at Ten Atoms; and to every port of call along the endless ocean way, sea-facing or no, landlocked or otherwise.
Darnielle says some other things about the LP in a press release. It's such a pleasure to read his writing, so I'll include that quote, too.
There were 16 men on a fishing boat, but only three survived the storm, and one of those went missing, and is presumed dead. That leaves me and Peter Balkan, whose health is failing as his apocalyptic visions dissipate in the spray at the shore. The Mountain Goats are proud to announce Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, a story of momentary visions away from the world, due 7 November 2025 on Cadmean Dawn Records: our own label! The first song we're sharing from it is called "Armies Of The Lord"; we recorded this in January at Dreamland Studios. Matt Douglas produced it; Ben Loughran who you know from tour did the synth with Matt as co-conspirator; that's Mikaela Davis on the harp; the voice on the harmonies in the bridge that sounds like Lin-Manuel Miranda is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who followed Peter Balkan's story from its early gleanings through its realization. Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan. Only available on Cadmean Dawn Records and tapes.
"Armies Of The Lord" is a pounding, dramatic piano rocker with a whole lot of orchestral heft to it. It's about the furthest I've ever heard them venture into Meat Loaf territory, and I mean that as a huge compliment. It's amazing to hear this band sounding this rich and full, and Darnielle's piano work and vocals are really expressive here. In addition to the new record, the Mountain Goats are about to set forth on a fall tour. Below. check out "Armies Of The Lord," the tracklist for Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, and the dates of that tour.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Overture"
02 "Fishing Boat"
03 "Cold At Night"
04 "Dawn Of Revelation"
05 "Your Bandage"
06 "Peru"
07 "Through This Fire"
08 "Rocks In My Pockets"
09 "Armies Of The Lord"
10 "Your Glow"
11 "The Lady From Shanghai 2"
12 "Broken To Begin With"
TOUR DATES:
9/20 – Black Mountain, NC @ Pisgah Brewing Company
9/22 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
9/24 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater *
9/26 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
9/27 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
9/28 – Peoria, IL @ TempleLive at Peoria Scottish Rite Theatre
9/29 – Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
10/01 – Huntington, WV @ The Loud
10/02 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall
10/03 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
10/04 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
11/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
11/30 – Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
12/01 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
12/03 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
12/04 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
12/05 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
12/06 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
12/08 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
12/09 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
12/10 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
12/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
12/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
12/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
* with Rilo Kiley
Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan is out 11/7 on the band's own Cadean Dawn Records. Pre-order it here. John Darnielle's new book This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days, which combines the lyrics for 365 Mountain Goats songs with Darnielle's commentaries on writing those songs, is out 12/2 via Macmillan.
