The Mammals

In celebration of its forthcoming double album, “Touch Grass Vol. 1 & 2,” New York indie-roots band The Mammals will perform Friday evening at University Lutheran Church. The group, led by folk singers Ruth Ungar — daughter of folk musician and composer Jay Ungar and singer-songwriter Lyn Hardy — and her husband, Mike Merenda, began in the early 2000s and has since made a name for itself in the folk circuit with its emotional, political, genre-blending songs, as well as its electric live performances. Lauded as “a national treasure” by singer-songwriter and playwright Anaïs Mitchell, the band has shared its music on three continents and hosts a biannual folk festival, “The Hoot.” 

“Touch Grass” is hailed by The Mammals as its “most expansive and soul-nourishing offering to date.” Recorded over four years at the band’s Humble Abode Music studio, it reflects on the political and societal turbulence of the past few years, with Volume 1 serving as a rage-driven rallying cry and Volume 2 offering more empathy and introspection. Altogether, the album is “equal parts protest anthem and love letter to community, healing and the messy beauty of being alive,” according to the group. 

“I want the thoughts in my head to be there because I put them there,” Merenda said. “That realization is the seed this album grew from.” 

The band has released five singles on streaming platforms. The full album, sold as separate volumes, will be available for purchase at Friday’s show. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for Fiddle members and $5 for students and can be purchased at tenpoundfiddle.org or at the door.