Today, the Mountain Goats announce Getting Into Knives, the perfect album for the millions of us who have spent many idle hours contemplating whether we ought to be honest with ourselves and just get massively into knives. Barn-burning lead single “As Many Candles As Possible,” which features Al Green's organist Charles Hodges, arrives today. Watch the Lalitree Darnielle-directed lyric video now, and pre-order Getting Into Knives ahead of its October 23 release on cassette, CD, and 2-LP wherever records are sold, as well as salmon-colored deluxe vinyl in the Mountain Goats store. In addition, limited-edition metallic gold Peak Vinyl and a new enamel pin, both available à la carte or as part of a superbundle that comes with a free embroidered patch while supplies last, can be found in the Merge store.

When Darnielle spoke with NPR in April about the breakneck ten days spent writing and recording Songs for Pierre Chuvin on his infamous boombox, it was revealed the full Mountain Goats band had been recording new material at “famed studios in the Deep South.”

After working as the engineer for 2019’s In League With Dragons, Matt Ross-Spang suggested the band come down to Sam Phillips Recording for a tour—which in turn led to the decision to record in Memphis and to promote him to producer for the follow-up. Recorded in a single week with “magic” microphones salvaged from The Nashville Network, and in the same room where the Cramps tracked their 1980 debut album, the immediacy of Getting Into Knives burns brightly.

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photo: Jade Wilson