Jim Jarmusch and Dutch lutenist Jozef van Wissem have announced a new pair of collaborative albums, Bocca di Lupo and Mouth of the Wolf, arriving together on November 6th via Sacred Bones. As a first taste, they’ve recruited Courtney Barnett for their new single “Never Like You Said.”
Collaborative Effort
Built from a persistent pulse, balls of guitar fuzz, and van Wissem’s hypnotic instrumentation, “Never Like You Said” unites Barnett and Jarmusch through candid clandestine vocal refrains. The lyrics were improvised in a single take during the recording session and emerged as a response to dishonesty and the feeling of finally shutting someone out.
“We were honored to have guest duet vocals from the iconic Courtney Barnett on ‘Never Like You Said,’” Jarmusch and van Wissem said in a statement. “The lyrics of the song arrived spontaneously in a single take in the studio, an emotional response to disingenuous people – a kind of closing of the door.”
Recording and Inspiration
The two albums were recorded at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna, Italy, in July 2025, shortly after Jarmusch and van Wissem played shows together in New York and Chicago and just before they embarked on a short European tour. The studio’s location on Via Bocca di Lupo also provided the records with their names: “in bocca al lupo,” or “in the mouth of the wolf,” is an Italian expression used to wish someone good luck, not unlike “break a leg.”
Though they’re being released at the same time, Jarmusch and van Wissem consider the records separate works. Bocca di Lupo contains seven tracks, beginning with a new version of “Only Lovers Left Alive,” while Mouth of the Wolf consists solely of two instrumental pieces, “In A” and “Massa Damnata,” built from the duo’s live performances using two electric guitars.
Tracklist and Artwork
Notably, the opening track also circles back to one of the pair’s best-known collaborations. Van Wissem and Jarmusch’s band SQÜRL helped create the soundtrack for Jarmusch’s 2013 vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive. Elsewhere on Bocca di Lupo, “Black Roses” sets an original poem written in Bologna against the duo’s music, while “Pour Deux Femmes” works in a recorded conversation between Adriana Coppi and Veronica Mayrr about the supposedly haunted auras surrounding pieces of vintage women’s clothing. With the exception of those pieces and “Never Like You Said,” the new material is instrumental.
Bocca di Lupo Tracklist:
01. Only Lovers Left Alive
02. Never Like You Said
03. Apology
04. Black Roses
05. On Twofold Nature
06. Pour Deux Femmes
07. In Bocca Al Lupo
Mouth of the Wolf Tracklist:
01. In A
02. Massa Damnata
In conclusion, Jim Jarmusch and Jozef van Wissem are set to release their collaborative albums Bocca di Lupo and Mouth of the Wolf on November 6th, featuring the new single “Never Like You Said” with Courtney Barnett. The albums showcase the duo’s unique blend of music and instrumentation, and are a must-listen for fans of experimental and instrumental music.
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