MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER & THE MOUNTAIN GOATS UNVEIL TWO-SONG COVERS EP
A two-song collaboration between the Mountain Goats and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and performer, Mary Chapin Carpenter is now streaming everywhere, featuring two beloved covers: “Put the Message in the Box,” by World Party, and “Migrations,” by Christine Fellows.
Both tracks are available digitally and on limited-edition 7” vinyl—in “Highway” Tar and “Windshield” Clear variants—now on pre-order to ship on or around May 15, 2026 via Cadmean Dawn Records and Tapes.
Side A: Put the Message in the Box (Karl Wallinger)
Mary Chapin Carpenter, lead vocal · John Darnielle, vocal · Matt Douglas, piano, acoustic guitar · Chris Boerner, bass, electric guitar · Jon Wurster, drums, percussion
Side B: Migrations (Christine Fellows)
John Darnielle, lead vocal · Mary Chapin Carpenter, vocal · Matt Douglas, bass clarinet, alto sax, piano· Chris Boerner, bass · Jon Wurster, drums, percussion
The Mountain Goats, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, available now
The Mountain Goats, led by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, have built a prolific and influential career in indie music since the early 1990s. Known for their vast discography of storytelling and literary lyricism, Darnielle is regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in modern songwriting. Their work has a deep emotional resonance with their avid and loyal fanbase, built over the past 30 years.
Today, we find Darnielle awoken from a dream where he titled an album Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, with no sense of sonic direction in the dream, then proceeded to write the entire album based off of this arbitrary title. Produced by the Mountain Goats’ multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, who also co-wrote several songs, the record is embracing, inviting, and overflowing with melody and orchestration that extends far beyond the boundaries of their past work.
the Mountain Goats
Live Archive Vol. 1: Going to Princeton (10/20/24)
Jon and Matt rolled on from Chicago in the bus but I stayed behind because there was a chance to see my favorite band in the world: Souled American. For two nights I watched them make magic in a small room, in the company of others like me, people who'd been waiting and hoping for a long time. The morning after Souled American's second show I went from hotel to cab to airport to a train that took me to the McCarter Theatre. There were pictures of all the people who'd played there in years past on the walls backstage. Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Cassandra Wilson. These are heroes of mine. We always try to be conscious of who's stood on a stage before we got there and to carry it forward a little. It was a special night in New Jersey.
3x LP on Mercer County Orange vinyl
Recorded live on 10/20/24 at the McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ
Also available on Bandcamp