2025 marks fifteen years since The Heligoats‘ seminal album, Goodness Gracious, was released. It feels a lot has changed in the world since 2010. How does the album hold up in today’s world?

By Graeme Smith

The Heligoats is a one-man band made up of Chris Otepka and his acoustic guitar. Formerly the lead singer of Troubled Hubble, when Chris went solo, he did so under a name inspired by the thought of a herd of goats with propellers.

If that sounds deliciously odd, then you’re in for a treat with the music. Chris is driven by a sense of the absurd and it comes through loud and strong in Goodness Gracious. Yet, it doesn’t make it inaccessible to the average listener. In fact, there’s a raw folksiness to it all that gives it broad appeal.

A Guide to the Outdoors is the perfect case in point, setting the album off on the right foot with a track that grows in stature before arriving at a soul-stirring rock climax.

Elsewhere, Mercury tackles our dissolving environment through heart-breaking poetry. Fish Sticks hit hard through rowdy folk rock. Rubber Stopper is a psychedelic affair with plenty of overlapping rock textures. Heat Vents is breathless – it gave me goosebumps. Title track Goodness Gracious closes the album in delicate style, giving plenty of space to its captivating lyrics.

So, how does it hold up? Pretty darn well, actually. It’s a sound that somehow never went away but is also due a comeback. The instrumental arrangements shake you to your core while Chris’s hypnotic lyricism will have you hanging on every word.

If you want to catch The Heligoats live, then he’ll be playing at Tree Fort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, USA.

Goodness Gracious is available to buy as a digital album and on vinyl via Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.

Full tour dates:

Friday, March 21 – Des Moines @ The Fitz INFO

Saturday, March 22 – Lincoln, NE @ Duffy’s INFO

Sunday, March 23 – Fort Collins, CO @ Wolverine Farm 4 PM

Monday, March 24 – CO Springs, CO @ So On, ETC House Show

Thursday, March 27 – Boise, ID @ Treeline Bus #1 7:15 PM

Friday, March 28 – Boise, ID @ 8 Horses 4pm

Saturday, March 29 – Boise, ID @ Lost Grove Brewing 5PM

Saturday, March 29 – Boise, ID @ Camp Modern 9:10 PM

Wednesday, April 2 – Hood River, OR @ Gorge Speakeasy INFO

Thursday, April 3 – Hood River, OR @ Ruins TIX

Friday, April 4 – Silverton, OR @ Oak Street Church INFO

Saturday, April 5 – Portland, OR @ Private Show

Sunday, April 6 – Portland, OR @ Waypost 5:30 PM

Monday, April 7 – Medford, OR @ Copper Plank (Elk Lodge) INFO