Dark in Here, the forthcoming album from the Mountain Goats, was recorded at legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. It’s a quieter and smokier batch of songs when compared to the rich and vibrant hues of its sibling “Memphis” record, last October’s Getting Into Knives. Perhaps no song better functions as Dark in Here’s sonic and emotional cornerstone than “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums,” available for preview today:

From the Mountain Goats’ bassist Peter Hughes:

John Darnielle concedes that “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums” is an autobiographical one. While the lines, “In a new universe / trying to find the mask that fits me” would take on a newly literal connotation … the song is about going to metal shows at Fender’s Ballroom in Long Beach, California, in the late ’80s, and more broadly, about seeking a sense of identity and community in strange and occasionally forbidding places.

Dark in Here arrives June 25; revisit previous single “Mobile” and pre-order the album on CD and etched 2-LP today! The Merge store is offering “High Noon Somewhere Blue” Peak Vinyl along with an exclusive Mountain Goats pog pack and jigsaw puzzle that can be bundled together with the album, while the band store carries its own “Mine-Lantern Pale” color-in-color vinyl edition.

The Mountain Goats on tour:
Aug 06 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
Aug 07 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Aug 08 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Aug 10 Austin, TX – Mohawk
Aug 11 Austin, TX – Mohawk
Aug 12 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
Aug 13 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
Aug 15 Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Aug 16 Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
Aug 19 Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
Aug 21 Fort Collins, CO – Washington’s
Aug 23 Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater
Aug 24 Evanston, IL – SPACE
Aug 25 Evanston, IL – SPACE
Aug 26 Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Sep 16 Dallas, TX – Kessler Theater*
Sep 17 Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre*
Sep 24 Holyoke, MA – Gateway City Arts Center*
Sep 25 Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios*
Sep 26 Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest Cafe at the ArtsQuest*
*John Darnielle solo