Mark Mulcahy is an indie rock lifer. Miracle Legion, one of Mulcahy’s bands, never blew up, but they were staples of the Connecticut underground from the early ’80s to the mid-’90s. In 2016, they played their first show in 20 years. Polaris, Mulcahy’s other band, was the house act on the beloved ’90s kids show The Adventures Of Pete & Pete. After Mulcahy’s wife passed away suddenly in 2008, admirers like Michael Stipe, the National, and Dinosaur Jr. raised money for his family by covering his songs on a tribute compilation; Thom Yorke’s version of “All For The Best” was especially devastating. Now, Mulcahy has made a kind of tribute album of his own.

As Brooklyn Vegan points out, Mark Mulcahy just self-released a new EP called The Tinsler. On the record, Mulcahy covers five emotionally heavy indie rock songs that were written by young women and that came out fairly recently: Mitski’s surprise hit “My Love All Mine,” Faye Webster’s “Jonny,” boygenius’ “Voyager,” Adrianne Lenker’s “anything,” and Laufey’s “Promise.” Mulcahy does all his singing and Ken Maiuri, a multi-instrumentalist who used to be in Pedro The Lion and who’s worked with Mulcahy for a long time, does the music. Most of these songs are very familiar, and it’s cool to hear Mulcahy’s takes on them. Here’s what Mulcahy wrote about the project in the Bandcamp description:

The last few year I’ve been driving a lot and listening to loads of music. All the way back to daily Hamilton, TS (original), Dua Lipa (and Da Baby), Sprach Zarathustra, too much Fleetwood Mac and just enough Elton John. All that stuff stayed in the mix, but pretty soon it was Phoebe Bridgers every other song. Then Lucy Dacus, Adrianne Lenker, Mitski, Clairo, Beabadoobee and Laufey. A pretty steady ear diet of lady singers and writers is all they ever played. Solitary confinement where no man can be heard. Maybe The Strokes, but I was surrounded by all this wonderful music, and even though I made them shut it off sometimes and put on Toys in the Attic, I love so much of it. When boygenius started rolling I hitchhiked along and was amazed.

So this little record is some kind of summary tribute to the time spent listening and learning and crying and laughing. I’m happy to know there’s still reams and buckets and pontoon boats full of great music being made by people I never heard of. It was easy covering these songs cause they’re burned into my brain and they remind of some beautiful drives to no place in particular.

I think that’s so nice. Stream the Tinsler EP below.