Days after surprising fans with an unexpected single, Goose has dropped its second new album of 2025, Chain Yer Dragon. News of the release arrived late Wednesday night, coinciding with the band’s return to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the indie groove quartet premiered a powerful new song from the album, “Madalena”.
Comprised largely of songs the band has already played live, Chain Yer Dragon features 12 tracks recorded on the down low with producer D. James Goodwin—who also helmed the band’s 2022 breakthrough album Dripfield, 2022’s Undecided EP, 2023’s Autumn Crossing EP, and Goose’s most recent full-length album, Everything Must Go—at Dreamland Studios in Hurley NY, The Chateau (where Goose recorded the Chateau Sessions), and Goodwin’s studio, The Isokon.
Among the tracklist are new studio versions of several live staples and Vasudo holdovers already beloved by fans, including “Hot Love & The Lazy Poet”, “Turbulence & The Night Rays”, “Echo of a Rose”, “Mr. Action”, “Dr. Darkness”, “The Empress of Organos”, “Jed Stone”, “Rockdale”, and “Factory Fiction”. Two brand new songs—”Madalena” and “Royal”—offer something fresh while expanding on the universe of The Night Rays Band first conceived by guitarist/vocalist Rick Mitarotonda and his songwriting partner Matt Campbell back in 2011.
“There’s a world-building component that feels like the driving force of this record,” said Mitarotonda of the new album. “Many of these character-driven songs come from a time and place where we were finding our voice musically, and it’s been so gratifying to not only revisit it through the lens of who and where we are now, but to expand on it. These songs have been on a journey, and it feels right for them to finally have a home now.”
“Chain Yer Dragon is certainly its own world,” added multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach. “[It] is a special album in that, from front to back, it really showcases the songwriting duo of Rick and Matt. They have such a strong, open relationship when it comes to writing, and it seems to grow with each composition. ‘Madalena’ was notably the most recent song to be written for this record. I’m in awe of what they are able to create, and I’m stoked to share in the world of Chain Yer Dragon.”
“I’m proud of the journey these songs have been on, and that they’re finally being realized on a record that feels in line with the spirit of what they always wanted to be,” Mitarotonda reflected. “It also gave us an opportunity to work on some new ideas that felt like they belonged to the world these songs inhabit, while also adding some new language. I like to think of these things as a landscape, and that together we can move in any direction at any time — embracing and exploring our past and pushing forward to somewhere new.”
The album’s Kevin Bergkvist-designed cover art features drawings of four hands making various gestures including a middle finger, a peace sign, a thumbs-up (a la hitchhiking or “you’re out”), and a finger pointed at the viewer—although only three were visible when Fallon introduced the band on The Tonight Show thanks to a well-placed yellow sticky note censoring the middle finger.
Chain Yer Dragon follows Everything Must Go as Goose’s fifth full-length studio album and the second to feature the band’s quartet lineup with new drummer Cotter Ellis alongside Mitarotonda, multi-instrumentalist Peter Anspach, and bassist Trevor Weekz. The release marks the latest milestone in a landmark year for the band, who headlined New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival earlier this summer and recently celebrated its sold-out Madison Square Garden debut.
Watch Goose premiere “Madalena” live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and stream the band’s new album, Chain Yer Dragon, in full below or on your preferred digital platform. The album is also available on limited-edition White Ash and Dark Galaxy vinyl and CD via Goose’s website.
Goose returns to the road this week for an eagerly anticipated performance at Park City, UT’s Park City Song Summit (August 14-16) followed by headline dates, festival appearances, and more throughout August, September, and October. The band will host its 12th annual Goosemas holiday celebration on December 12th–13th at Providence, RI’s Amica Mutual Pavilion. Click below for a full list of upcoming Goose tour dates. Find ticketing information here.
Goose – “Madalena” Live On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Goose – Chain Yer Dragon