John Darnielle and Kaki King give into the darkness with “Mosquito Repellent.”

Track: “Mosquito Repellent”
Album: Black Pear Tree EP (2008)

Kaki King wrote the music for “Mosquito Repellent,” which is unusual even for a collaboration song. It’s darker than most of the other fare and that grew out of King’s music that John Darnielle had to find lyrics for. He apparently heard the tune and got in this headspace and pictured a character that embraces their own darkness. He’s talked before about how this kind of character is less interesting to him as he’s grown and matured, but it’s the kind of person we hear from in “Standard Bitter Love Song #8.” That one is mad that someone is skating with someone else, this one’s troubles may be deeper and they may not be, that’s not really the point.

This isn’t healthy. No one who says they “hope the bad guys win” is meant to seem healthy, but it’s a relatable situation all the same. A lot of Mountain Goats narrators are a lot harder to empathize with than most narrators in songs, but it rarely gets this dark. “Mosquito Repellent” is certainly notable for that jam behind the lyrics, but the high notes that Darnielle hits and the crashing anger towards the end are what really sell it. All of the Kaki King songs are unique, but this is probably the high point of the Black Pear Tree EP for anyone who is in this very specific, hopefully temporary, mood.