Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw: The Undone Is Done Again

With his excellent 2025 solo release, Ghost Ship, along with the wonderful return of Pullman earlier this year, Chris Brokaw has been on some run of form. Never one to remain creatively dormant, the Codeine and Come drummer’s latest adventure sees him bringing Tanya Donelly along for the ride, joining forces for The Undone Is Done Again. An EP of interpretations of medieval music passed down through the ages.

The pair guide each other into new terrains. This collaboration, quickly evolving after Donelly was thinking of songs to perform at Hilken Mancini’s annual show, with Brokaw on hand to provide the necessary sonic embellishments. The rest, as they say, is history, which is exactly where the duo go to with these recordings.

The former Breeders and Throwing Muses co-founder has always gone against the grain. From forging her own path with the dreamy road-trip alt-rock of Belly to a slew of collaborations illuminated during the excellent Swan Song Series, alongside Brokaw, she takes centre stage over these four songs. The only gripe being that there isn’t more of them.

Donelly’s own interpretations of these festive songs are like a new codified language. And foiled by the in-the-ether guitars that made Brokaw’s Ghost Ship one of 2025’s best releases, this is far more than just a Record Store Day loss leader. The Undone Is Done Again, one of two shining beacons on the day. (The other being Robert Poss’ collaboration with E-Clark Cornell for Kepler’s Choice.)

In the lead-up to its release, Brokaw spoke of the Norwegian vocal group, Medieval Trio, as a loose reference point. Not that Donelly needed much persuading, as she pulls these interpretations further into obscurity. The results find her moving beyond the borders previously reached throughout her creative endeavours. Starting with Novvus Annis Adiit. Like a lullaby designed for the fourth world, Brokaw’s crystalline guitars ricochet off Donelly’s melodies that make the heart skip a beat.

Following is Sainte Nicholaes. As its title suggests, the duo’s interpretation feels far more outer-church, and through knotty guitars and wordless vocalisations, it’s something akin to a clarion call. On In Hoc Anni Circulo, Donelly excavates even deeper. Her intoxicating performance, following Brokaw’s snaking, hypnotic guitars that arrive at the most mysterious of places.

And it’s where the duo remain on Plaudat Letitia. Conjuring up a hushed, sparkling minimal blues, it occupies a place in the same fourth world as Novvus Annis Adiit, making it a beautiful curtain call.

Donelly and Brokaw catch the same spark as Greg Anderson and Petra Haden did on their stunning 2022 LP, Devotional. A tonal lust designed for the freedom offered by open space, and through these interpretations, together they don’t just strike a chord with the listener, but also with each other. And here’s hoping this is just the beginning.

The Undone Is Done Again is out now via Fire Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.