Dark in Here

Dark in Here
Studio album by the Mountain Goats
Released	June 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
Recorded	March 9–14, 2020[1]
Studio	FAME (Muscle Shoals, Alabama)
Length	46:45
Label	Merge
Producer	Matt Ross-Spang
The Mountain Goats chronology
Getting Into Knives (2020) Dark in Here (2021) Bleed Out (2022)
Singles from Dark in Here
"Mobile" Released: April 20, 2021 "The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums" Released: May 11, 2021 "Dark in Here" Released: June 3, 2021

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
American Songwriter	[4]
Paste	8.3/10[5]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[6]
PopMatters	7/10[1]
Rolling Stone	[7]

Dark in Here is the 20th studio album by indie folk band the Mountain Goats, released June 25, 2021 through Merge Records.^[1] The album was recorded in March 2020, just one week after Getting Into Knives (2020), at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.^[8] Dark in Here was produced by Matt Ross-Spang, who also produced Getting Into Knives and engineered In League with Dragons (2019).^[1] In addition to being available on streaming and download services, the album was released physically on CD and vinyl.

The album's lead single, "Mobile", featuring organists Spooner Oldham and Will McFarlane, was released on April 20, 2021.^[9] "The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums" was released on May 11, 2021, and the title track "Dark in Here" was released as the final single on June 3, 2021.

The album's cover art is a portion of the painting Valborgsmässoafton i Bergslagen, Grangärde i Dalarna ("Walpurgis Night in Bergslagen, Grandgärde in Dalarna") by Anshelm Schultzberg (1896).^[10]

Accolades

Dark in Here on year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Paste	The 50 Best Albums of 2021	43	[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Darnielle

Dark in Here track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Parisian Enclave"	1:25
2.	"The Destruction of the Kola Superdeep Borehole Tower"	3:20
3.	"Mobile"	3:42
4.	"Dark in Here"	3:23
5.	"Lizard Suit"	4:15
6.	"When a Powerful Animal Comes"	5:26
7.	"To the Headless Horseman"	3:54
8.	"The New Hydra Collection"	2:28
9.	"The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums"	5:26
10.	"Before I Got There"	4:14
11.	"Arguing with the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review"	3:57
12.	"Let Me Bathe in Demonic Light"	5:10
Total length:		46:45

Personnel

The Mountain Goats

• John Darnielle – guitars, vocals, piano
• Peter Hughes – bass
• Jon Wurster – drums, percussion
• Matt Douglas – woodwinds, piano, guitar

Additional personnel

• Spooner Oldham – Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer organ
• Will McFarlane – guitar
• Susan Marshall – vocal harmony
• Reba Russell – vocal harmony

Production

• Matt Ross-Spang – production, engineering
• Shana Gandhi – mixing
• John Lee Gifford – production assistant
• Brent Lambert – mastering (The Kitchen Mastering, Carrboro, North Carolina)

Charts

Chart performance for Dark in Here

Chart (2021)	Peak position
US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)[12]	6
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13]	40
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[14]	16
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15]	46

References

1. Conaton, Chris (June 23, 2021). "The Mountain Goats say it's 'Dark in Here'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
2. "Critic Reviews for Dark in Here - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
3. Deming, Mark (July 2, 2021). "Dark in Here – The Mountain Goats". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
4. Zimmerman, Lee (June 28, 2021). "The Mountain Goats Dig Into Darkness on 'Dark In Here'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
5. Crump, Andy (June 25, 2021). "It's Getting 'Dark in Here' for The Mountain Goats". Paste. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
6. Mitchell, Matt (June 30, 2021). "The Mountain Goats: Dark in Here Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
7. Dolan, Jon (June 29, 2021). "Mountain Goats Mix Terror and Beauty on 'Dark in Here'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
8. Willis, Joey (June 24, 2021). "The Mountain Goats move across the musical map on 'Dark in Here' (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
9. Turman, Katherine (April 19, 2021). "The Mountain Goats Share 'Mobile' Single Ahead Of New 'Dark In Here' LP". Spin. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
10. "Dark in Here". Bandcamp. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
11. "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. November 29, 2021. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
12. "Americana/Folk Albums: July 10, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
13. "Independent Albums: July 10, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
14. "Top Album Sales: July 10, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
15. "Top Rock Albums: July 10, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2022.

External links

• Dark in Here at Discogs (list of releases)