If you grew up at the right moment, the word Candlebox springs to mind with a flood of unforgettable memories. If you’re younger, you should know Candlebox was a Seattle-based rock act that managed to breakthrough during the grunge surge, even though they didn’t truly fit the label. They were among the earliest artists to sign with Madonna’s Maverick label, and their self-titled debut from 1993 produced a string of radio staples and went quadruple platinum. Yet they faced heavy pushback for supposedly riding the grunge wave, despite not fully doing so, and their subsequent records didn’t move the needle. Candlebox eventually dissolved and later re-formed, and they’re still together today, but the name will always conjure a particular moment of rock ’n’ roll excitement, confusion, and simmering resentment. Now, Candlebox have a brand-new Mountain Goats track named after them.
In the coming month, the prolific Mountain Goats will unveil their new record Days. Frontman John Darnielle initially toyed with titling the LP Grunges, conceived as a spiritual successor to the band’s striking 2017 album Goths. Plans shifted, but Days contains song titles such as “Song For Layne Staley” and “Woodstock ’99,” which hint that the project will still probe the resonances of the grunge era. Following the early singles “Going To Fennario,” “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out To The Feds,” and “Shallow Grave,” the Mountain Goats have now released their new single “Candlebox.” It’s a rager.
“Candlebox” isn’t strictly about Candlebox as a band. Rather, Darnielle performs the track from the viewpoint of an hopeful ’90s rock outfit that lands a life-changing chance to open for Candlebox on tour. (You might recall that the Flaming Lips—during the era of “She Don’t Use Jelly”—did indeed open for Candlebox on tour, though this song isn’t likely about them.) The imagined group probably didn’t go on to lasting fame, but the song lives in a moment of boundless possibility. It swells, builds, and detonates, and Darnielle delivers the name “Candlebox” with a tender sense of wonder. Here’s his take on it:
Our new single is titled “Candlebox” and concerns a nameless band in the ’90s who get offered an opening slot on the Candlebox tour. It could be 1993, or 1994, and soon after the whole experience they’re no longer a band. Days is an album about how the past looks when you’re viewing it from far down the line, so I had to bring in Matt Nathanson to sing harmonies; we were young men together when stories like this circulated like lore. Recorded at the legendary Sear Sound in Manhattan under perfect weather. John Congleton produced and mixed. Jon Wurster on drums, Matt Douglas on guitar, Rob Jost played bass, I played keys and did the guitar solo. Set the dial for maximum ’90s because we pulled out all the stops: enjoy!
So: How does the real Candlebox feel about “Candlebox”? Stereogum reached out to Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin for a comment, and he says that the Mountain Goats are “amazing” and that the band shared the song with him before it dropped. He says he loves it. I love it, too. Listen below.
Days is released on 8/7 on the Mountain Goats’ own Cadmean Dawn label.
