Getting Into Knives (Merge Records), out October 23rd, highlight “Get Famous” compresses the Mountain Goats’ fervor into a backhanded benediction, a three-minute pop entreaty to reach for the stars. But frontman John Darnielle isn’t the type to wish fame on anyone. Instead, he sings the song’s title as if it were a curse.

From John Darnielle:
“If I told you all how much fun we had making this one you wouldn’t even believe me, but we hope it comes through.”

The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, Matt Douglas, Peter Hughes, and Jon Wurster recorded Getting Into Knives in a single week with local players at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, Tennessee. Cohabitation radiates throughout Getting Into Knives, with many tracks featuring seven or more musicians playing at once. Following April’s Songs for Pierre Chuvin and 2019’s In League with Dragons, Getting Into Knives is a document of a band at the top of its game.