This fall, Dutch composer Jozef Van Wissem and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch are releasing two new collaborative records: Bocca di Lupo and Mouth Of The Wolf. They arrive as a pair. Today, the lead single “Never Like You Said”, which includes Courtney Barnett, is available now. Barnett’s own new album, Creature Of Habit, came out earlier this year.
The pair of records came together in July 2025, made in Bologna, Italy. Wissem and Jarmusch arranged the studio time via Gian Luca Farinelli and Rosanna Mordini of the Cineteca di Bologna, and they laid down tracks at Fonoprint Studios on Via Bocca di Lupo — the road that lends its title to both albums.
“In bocca al lupo — in the mouth of the wolf — is the Italian idiom for wishing one good luck; equivalent to ‘break a leg’ in english.”
The Two Albums
Bocca di Lupo opens with a new version of the duo’s own “Only Lovers Left Alive.” “Apology” reworks a pre-existing piece by Wissem. All other tracks on the first LP are new originals.
The second LP, Mouth Of The Wolf, is a separate musical statement. It holds just two longer, “darkly ecstatic” instrumental tracks: “In A” and “Massa Damnata.” Both were created with two electric guitars and derived from the pair’s live performances. The album gets its own sleeve and artwork.
Courtney Barnett’s Contribution
According to Wissem and Jarmusch, the lyrics for “Never Like You Said.” were created spontaneously during a single studio take. That is where Barnett sings guest duet vocals.
The song is described as “an emotional response to disingenuous people — a kind of closing of the door.”
A casually recorded conversation between Adriana Coppi and Veronica Mayrr of Deux Femmes gets woven into the album at “Pour Deux Femmes.”, and it centers on “the haunted auras of particular pieces of vintage women’s clothing.”. “Black Roses”, an original poem written in Bologna, appears elsewhere in its own musical setting. The remaining tracks are purely instrumental.
Musical Inspirations
A long list of names and movements sits behind the project’s creation, and the creators name many of them directly. They point to Sunn O))) and Swans as early touchstones, alongside Terry Riley and Morton Feldman. The list then moves through Hildegard Von Bingen and William Lawes, before turning toward Psychic Ills and Spacemen 3. It also includes Les Rallizes Dénudés and NEU!, Nadja and Glenn Branca, Ian Svenonius and Dead Skeletons, Son House, and Gwenifer Raymond.
They sum it up as “from sunset to sunrise…full moon to new moon…”
Release Details
Bocca di Lupo and Mouth Of The Wolf is out 11/6 via Sacred Bones. Pre-orders are live now.
KEY FACTS BOX
– Release date: 11/6
– Label: Sacred Bones
– Recorded: July 2025, Bologna, Italy
– Bocca di Lupo: 7 tracks
– Mouth Of The Wolf: 2 tracks
– Lead single: “Never Like You Said” (feat. Courtney Barnett)
Source: stereogum.com
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