On April 7, 2015, “Merge Records” label released “Beat the Champ” the fifteenth Mountain Goats (The) studio album. It was recorded in 2014 and was produced by Brandon Eggleston and Scott Solter.

Personnel:

• John Darnielle – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards
• Peter Hughes – bass, electric guitar
• Jon Wurster – drums, percussion
• Nathan Golub – steel guitar
• Austin Nevins – guitar
• Brad Cook – background vocals
• Phil Cook – organ, background vocals
• Matt Douglas – woodwind, woodwind arrangement
• Erik Friedlander – strings, string arrangement
• Scott Solter – mixing
• Brent Lambert – mastering
• Rob Carmichael – graphic design, typography
• Leela Corman – cover illustration, additional illustrations

Track listing:

All tracks by John Darnielle.

1. Southwestern Territory
2. The Legend of Chavo Guerrero
3. Foreign Object
4. Animal Mask
5. Choked Out
6. Heel Turn 2
7. Fire Editorial
8. Stabbed to Death Outside San Juan
9. Werewolf Gimmick
10. Luna
11. Unmasked
12. The Ballad of Bull Ramos
13. Hair Match