Any morbid Mountain Goats fan (and there are a lot of us) will tell you there’s no greater pleasure than to belt out the band’s apocalyptic “No Children”—“I hope you die! I hope we both die!”—at one of their live shows. They’ll also tell you, however, that a nice palate cleanser is “This Year,” a decidedly optimistic Mountain Goats staple that’s morphed into a rallying cry for anyone struggling to make it through the day.
It turns out it’s a favorite song of Stephen Colbert as well, and the host recently brought the band to The Late Show to perform it. Providing backing vocals? Colbert himself, who proves his fandom by not just singing the anthemic chorus, but one of the thrumming verses as well.
Give it a watch below, then fire up their latest, In League With Dragons, a “vibrant listen” we recently recommended.