Two of Boston’s most influential and enduring voices have joined forces for a bold new project. Tanya Donelly—co-founder of Belly, Throwing Muses, and The Breeders—and Chris Brokaw, guitarist/singer for the legendary Come, Codeine drummer and long-time collaborator with Thurston Moore, have come together to reimagine the centuries-old form of medieval music for the modern.
Their forthcoming four-track new EP The Undone is Done Again (Fire Records, 2026) is released on 17th April with a special edition vinyl release as part of this year’s Record Store Day. An alluring collection of modern interpretations of medieval music, their new EP is built on the intimate interplay of Donelly’s luminous vocals and Brokaw’s intricate, atmospheric guitar work. The result is music that resonates with an ancient yet contemporary energy that’s timeless, haunting and defiantly new.
Bringing together decades of experience shaping alternative and indie rock history for the first time. Donelly’s unmistakable voice and songwriting has inspired generations, while Brokaw’s genre-spanning guitar work has pushed boundaries in rock, folk, and experimental music. Together, they’ve created a remarkable new project that is at once stark and lush, rooted and progressive, whilst bridging Renaissance tradition with richly layered arrangements and contemporary songcraft.
Recorded at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham MA during Spring 2025. The project began with medieval Christmas carol, ‘In Hoc Anni Circolo’, produced for a benefit show during late 2024. Nuanced and intricate with majestic early music influences Brokaw’s improvised guitar techniques and melodic repeated patterns alongside Donelly’s beguiling vocals brings a minimalist and European classical feel to the release. Chris explains, “The repeating guitar melody in the last third of the song was an improvisation that came together in the studio”. Lead track ‘Novus Annus Adiit’ is a compelling otherworldly entry point with its hypnotic guitars whilst ‘Plaudat Letitia’ was arranged from its original melody and an acapella version of the song they sourced.
“Having always been a big fan of all of Chris Brokaw’s music, bands, and projects, I asked him if we might team up to play a song or two for our mutual friend Hilken Mancini’s annual holiday event last year. He had the unusual and very cool idea to perform a medieval carol, in Latin, something far outside of anything I’d done before.” Tanya Donelly
“I’d been listening to the Norwegian vocal group ‘Medieval Trio” and kind of on a lark suggested that we perform a medieval Christmas piece. I felt like we immediately came upon a new language, sound, dialect. It sounded more like Bedouin music to me than anything particularly ‘Christian’, or much like anything we were ostensibly drawing from. I’ve always loved Tanya’s music but her voice here is, I think, on an entirely new level.” Chris Brokaw
In support of the release, the duo will be embarking on a series of live concerts, bringing their collaboration to intimate spaces across North America, Europe, and beyond this Spring. Audiences can expect intimate, mesmerizing performances of the madrigals, where two artists at the height of their powers explore uncharted musical territory alongside songs from their solo histories.
“Tanya Donelly has many talents, but first and foremost, she’s a beautiful singer that’s majestic yet varied” Pitchfork
“Brokaw continuously dances nimbly through these sorts of unexpected shifts; his acuity with control and complexity creates a subtle, unspoken poetry.” Pitchfork
LIVE DATES
10 Apr: Stone Church, Brattleboro, VT, US
13 Apr: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NYC, US
01 May: First Church Cambridge, Cambridge, MA, US
02 May: The Town and the City Festival, Lowell, MA, US
