The Mountain Goats continue to examine people who operate outside of humanity in “The New Hydra Collection.”

Track: “The New Hydra Collection”
Album: Dark in Here (2021)

I really like Dark in Here. This is not a hot take, but sometimes the albums take time to grow on me. I still haven’t found one I don’t like, which also shouldn’t be surprising now nearly 500 of these into my tenure. Dark in Here hit me immediately and nothing hit me as hard as “The New Hydra Collection.” As of this writing, there’s exactly one live performance you can go hear. The band calls it “a new one.” There’s probably no argument that it’s the best song on the album, but something about it really appeals to me.

The story will hit you the first time you hear it. Someone is “hell bent on doing the work that you cowards won’t do.” The title tells you, but the lyrics reinforce, yes, we’re gonna bring some sea monsters up out of this lake. With any other band you might wonder what we’re talking about here, but with the Mountain Goats, it’s safe to assume a cigar is a cigar. There’s not even a purpose here, this is just about doing it and making people feel the fear.

It’s funny but not silly, which is an important distinction and something I feel like gets lost. This is a horror story about calling enormous, dangerous beasts from the water. The song even makes clear everyone knows this is horrific, but the language is so casual. The song is a jam, which takes you further away from the horror. The result is something worth considering as you try to imagine who this person is and what they really want from these hydra.