I’m never going outside again. Ever.

Maybe you’ve seen the footage that was used to create the video for Richmond-based band Wolf//Goat’s “Madness Is Sanity.” I hadn’t. And I had no idea that in some mountainous corner of this beautiful green and blue planet we call home, EAGLES ARE PICKING UP BABY GOATS WITH THEIR TERRIFYING TALONS AND FLYING AWAY WITH THEM. I mean, seriously?!? If that doesn’t deserve an Independence-Day-style “My God…” I don’t know what does. My family wasn’t all that outdoorsy when I was growing up, but I definitely remember a mountain cabin trip or two, and I’m starting to think that it’s a miracle I made it out alive.

The video above is grisly to be sure, but it’s edited masterfully, bringing the song’s momentum shifts to life with a visceral brutality that has “recurring nightmare” written all over it. And I love that, in a twisted way, the clip offers an analogue to my short history with Wolf//Goat’s music.

It was just this past Saturday when the group swooped down from whichever cell tower carries AT&T data and grabbed hold of my attention. White Laces bassist Jay Ward posted an enthusiastic “heads up” about the band to Twitter, and upon finding The​/​/​Day​/​/​Tripper​/​/​Demo on Wolf//Goat’s Bandcamp page, I was promptly swept away. Just one listen was enough to leave me wildly impressed at the power and nuance these songs brandish, which is especially remarkable when you consider that the band classifies the recording as a demo.

As disconcerted as I am after seeing those goats plunge to their deaths, I’m hoping I can work up the courage to venture outside by the time Wolf//Goat plays their next gig in Richmond, because I would love to see how these well-crafted, refreshingly arranged songs are staged. Check out the jaw-dropping video above, a live version of “Madness Is Sanity” here, the recorded version below, and click here to name your price for a download of The​/​/​Day​/​/​Tripper​/​/​Demo.

Wolf//Goat — “Madness Is Sanity” [Bandcamp]