Album Review: Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan by the Mountain Goats
Three Men, a Boat, an Island, and Visions of an Apocalyptic Future by Benjamin Daniel B’29published on November 22nd, 2025
Three Men, a Boat, an Island, and Visions of an Apocalyptic Future by Benjamin Daniel B’29published on November 22nd, 2025
This newest album marks an exploration into new territories for the Mountain Goats. While they are no strangers to largescale production, Through this Fire Across from Peter Balkan shows the Mountain Goats at their grandest and most ambitious. The rich orchestration of the album is a far cry from the earlier tapes, supported only by Darnielle on guitar. However, the magic of those earlier tapes endures. The title came to Darnielle in a dream. He dreamt that he was in the studio, recording an album called Through this Fire across from Peter Balkan. When he awoke, he decided to make this dream come true.Darnielle describes what emerges as “an all-out musical.” Indeed, the album feels deeply theatrical. All of the album’s 12 songs contribute to the same narrative – that of three men left deserted after a shipwreck, one living, one missing, and one receiving apocalyptic visions of a world left desolate. So, without further to do, let us explore the world of Peter Balkan.
I - Overture
As with any good musical, Darnielle begins by priming the listener for the rest of the show. An instrumental piece isn’t new for the Mountain Goats, but it certainly isn’t common; the deluxe edition of Goths included a piece dedicated “For the West Coast Dark Ambient Bedroom Warriors”, but no other album has included a purely instrumental track. It establishes themes and leitmotifs that will recur throughout the album and serves as a gateway to Peter Balkan’s adventure.
II- Fishing Boat
Soft strings and keys set a buoyant tone for this track. Our narrator sets sail on a boat of sixteen, only to be left as one of three alive – “me and Peter Balkan and you, friend – everyone else is dead.” Despite the morbid contents of the lyrics, it’s hard to see this track as anything other than a celebration of the promise of the sea. Indeed, it's hard to resist Darnielle’s siren song and stop yourself from plotting an epic voyage after listening to this track.
III - Cold at Night
Dear reader, I know what you’re thinking. “Was that Lin Manuel Miranda?” The answer, my friend, is yes. Alexander Hamilton himself provided back up vocals for the Mountain Goats on an additional three of the album’s tracks. I was a tad dubious at first when I learned this. In my mind the Mountain Goats and Lin Manuel Miranda exist in two very distinct spheres. It never occurred to me that the two could cross paths. This song was the second single released for the album. The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson provides support on bass. In the context of the album, this song places our narrators on the island, and sees them establishing a camp on the beach.
IV-Dawn of Revelation
Here our perspective shifts to that of Balkan as he begins to receive prophetic visions. This song is FILLED with allusions - both biblical and not. From T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” to the Book of Matthew, careful listeners will find much to analyze in this song. This is also the most “rock-y” track of the bunch. Tommy Stinson pulls out all the stops on one killer bassline. The Mountain Goats here wear their Black Sabbath, New York Dolls and other hard rock influences proudly and it is really effective.
V-Your Bandage
This slower jazzier piece is my standout of the album. In it, we see a tender scene between Balkan and the narrator. The narrator cares for Balkan, dressing his wounds, while Balkan is tormented with visions of a barren world. The opening lines, in which Balkan voices this view, feel oh so apropos in this era of anthropogenic climate destruction:
“One day the stars will all go out
And those who can remember when
The night sky was a tapestry
Will be acclaimed as prophets then.”
VI- Peru
The Mountain Goats love to travel in their music. From the shores of Port Washington to San Bernardino, from Tallahassee to Reykjavik, it’s a safe bet to make that any given Mountain Goats album will include a nod to a specific geographic locale. Here we see Darnielle giving the Andes their flowers (both literally and metaphorically). The narrator begins to see Balkan’s health deteriorating, and prepares himself to persevere as a companion for his old friend “like the flowers that die in the winter but never fail to grow back new in the cracks down in the canyons in Peru.”
VII- Through this Fire
As his friend continues to fade, the narrator keeps watch over Peter Balkan. Balkan develops a hollow rattle in his chest – and the narrator estimates Balkan has a week left to live at most. Still he endeavors to make this last week comfortable. The real star of this track is the woodwinds – provided by regular Mountain Goats contributor and this album’s producer, Matt Douglass. Lin Manuel Miranda also provides backing.
VIII- Rocks in My Pocket
Here we get the first song told from the perspective of the third man, Adam. Adam observes the narrator caring for Peter Balkan. He knows that the three of them are never going to survive. He carves his name in a tree to leave “little signs of hope” and then decides to walk on to die alone. This was another of the three singles – and my personal favorite of the three. It’s a reminder of mortality beautifully wrought. “Just a few days on the surface – a lifetime below. Rocks in my pocket when I go.”
IX- Armies of the Lord
This song is the hardest for me to interpret in the context of the album but here is my best attempt. The narrator discovers Adam’s body and buries it at shore. He and Balkan are left as the last two alive -- without food. Now, all that remains is to home for some deus ex machina, an army of the lord to rescue them. Lin Manuel Miranda provides backing vocals.
X- Your Glow
The narrator describes Balkan’s day of death. As his last moments pass by, Balkan finds comfort in his companion. This track reminds me of a few songs off of Darnielle’s earlier album The Life of the World to Come – especially Philippians 3:20-21, which, despite its biblical name, was written about the death of David Foster Wallace. The track is an excellent poetic meditation on mortality.
XI- The Lady from Shanghai 2
Peter Balkan narrates his own death. Wait what? Don’t run away dear listener for this is one of the highlights of the album and is well worth the listen. The song title is a direct reference to a song from the band’s first single and an old noir from 1947, “The Lady from Shanghai.” In the song Balkan meditates over a life at sea, and finds resolution before sailing on to that last unknown. “Everything that sinks will float.”
XII- Broken to Begin With
When all is gone, what remains? As the narrator faces his own death, he begins to wonder how their crew will be remembered upon discovery. He laments the fact that their memory will most likely be overwritten by the pressures of time. Lin Manuel Miranda returns to provide backing vocals to end the album with a proper measure of grandeur. The song ends with a reprise of the chorus in Cold at Night. The curtain falls, the world keeps turning, and the ocean stretches onward.
This album is altogether an incredibly pleasant listening experience. I recommend pairing it with a rainy evening and a warm cup of rooibos. 5/5.