Watch John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats Debut a New Song, “Until Olympius Returns”

While under quarantine, John Darnielle of the much-adored indie-rock band The Mountain Goats has been keeping busy. The songwriter has been debuting new songs for the band via YouTube videos shot in his home. Thus far, he has shared the new songs “For The Snakes” and “Exegic Chains.” Now, he shares another new song: “Until Olympius Returns.”

The song is in the vein of much of The Mountain Goats’ earlier work, with Darnielle’s distinct candor and a wailing guitar coloring most of the track. The throwback to The Mountain Goats’ earlier style is without a doubt intentional, as Darnielle has been alluding to an impending, old-school-style Mountain Goats tape, on which his newly debuted songs will surely appear.

Darnielle also clarified in a tweet that the song “Until Olympius Returns” is about “a Neoplatonist in Alexandria who fled when the Serapeum fell under siege. He vanished into Italy and was not heard from again.”

hate to correct my kind friends at @stereogum but I am writing about a different Olympius than the one they Wiki’d. Mine was a Neoplatonist in Alexandria who fled when the Serapeum fell under siege. He vanished into Italy and was not heard from again. https://t.co/eobw8ij5KP

— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) March 31, 2020

Watch the full video of Darnielle debuting “Until Olympius Returns,” then check out The Mountain Goats playing “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton” in 2008 via footage from the Paste archives.