John Darnielle and Adeem the Artist Revisit the Possibilities of a Christian Record
A contemporary Christian record made in Nashville became the proposal that brought Adeem the Artist and John Darnielle together for Christians for Goliath. The description carries a complicated history for Adeem, whose earliest songwriting grew out of a fundamentalist upbringing. On the new single “Children of the Lord,” that history becomes material for an examination of compassion.
Darnielle’s involvement followed an existing musical relationship. Adeem had toured with The Mountain Goats, and the musician they had long admired had become a friend. After receiving the album’s title song, Darnielle suggested the Nashville project and went on to produce the 11-song collection.
The record’s musical sources extend across contemporary Christian music, gospel, country, blues and folk. That range gives the project a connection to several traditions Adeem has encountered over a lifetime. The songs and prayers themselves were accumulated over 15 years, bringing different periods of belief into the same collection.
For “Children of the Lord,” the stated foundation is a gritty blues riff. The subject is the separation of religious expression from religious responsibility, explored through gestures that can appear devout while withholding care. Its focus makes the song a particularly direct introduction to the album’s concerns.
The writing took shape with singer and worship pastor Leon Timbo after he reached out to encourage conversation between evangelical Christians and trans people. Adeem contributed a line saved from their friend Dale Mackey, and the two developed the song while discussing faith, exile and their experiences of religious spaces.
The previous single, “Hard to Get,” connects the album to another strand of Christian songwriting. Featuring The Mountain Goats, it honors Rich Mullins, whose generosity, writing and unfinished final album influenced Adeem’s early understanding of records. That reference gives the project a personal artistic lineage alongside its criticism of religious institutions.
Christians for Goliath arrives December 11 through Four Quarters Records / Thirty Tigers, with “Children of the Lord” out now. Listeners can follow the release through Adeem’s official website. The collaboration with Darnielle provides a setting for Adeem to revisit Christian music as a source of questions, inherited language and possible connection.
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