Goat Are Flutier Than Ever on ‘Union of Mind and Soul’

Goat named their debut album World Music, which is how you know they're ridiculous. After all, no artist unceremoniously filed under that specious umbrella actually likes the term. But these psych-damaged Swedes have a lot more in common with Dungen or Black Mountain than Youssou N'Dour, at least on their ripping debut, which shared the oily thrust of Monotonix and the astrological wanderings of Bat for Lashes in equivalent measure.

For Requiem, their first since 2014's Sub Pop debut Commune, they've taken the world-kitsch presentation even further with new single "Union of Mind and Soul," whose brain-drilling hook is catchier than the Lady Gaga song that premiered this week, despite sounding like it's being played on a fucking recorder. The press release promises they're "focusing more on their subdued, bucolic ritualism than psilocybin freakouts," and indeed the insisted plea of "Open your mind, open your mind" is equally fitting of spirituality or drugs. It's shockingly disciplined is all; and even more shocking that the high-pitched, barely tonal use of the instrument we all played in second grade doesn't devolve into, uh, shitfluting.

Goat's Requiem is out via Sub Pop on October 7.