Prince Brendan is returned, and his latest "Wrong Mountain" is possibly a loser anthem we didn't know we were looking for. The track is a gloriously scrappy, fuzz-drenched joy ride of heads down with open arms, welcoming the mistakes, the U-turns, and straight-up bad decisions that, somehow or another, manage to lead us to something worth our while. It's indie folk with a garage-rock smirk and enough slacker soul to feel it.
Brendan plays every instrument and records the whole thing himself. That D.I.Y. spirit is the heart of "Wrong Mountain." The sound is warm and warped, like a favorite flannel shirt that's past its best, but still fits just right. It's rough around the edges in all the right ways, toggling between alt-country and what Brendan jokes is yodel-core, but assuredly rooted in emotional truth.
If his previous single "Suzanne's Finery" was labeled "part heartbreak, part vintage carnival ride," then "Wrong Mountain" is what happens after the ride stalls and you opt to return home on foot instead, with a smile and a song in your heart. If you like Dr. Dog or Foxygen or Alex G or Father John Misty, you're in good company here, particularly if you're a fan of songwriting that's clever, a bit grubby, and dripping with the charm of real life.
With every new release, Prince Brendan further makes a name for himself somewhere between classic rock daydreams and alt-country night drives. "Wrong Mountain" strikes me as a necessary stop on that journey, even if it's not the summit he intended to scale. This is just another stepping stone on the trail to Brendan's debut album, "Love Songs for Sickly Girls," which will be released in 2026, so don't hold your breath. If "Wrong Mountain" is any guide, it's likely to be a gloriously flawed one.
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