Mike Watt and J Mascis have turned the split 7-inch into a tiny piece of alt-rock genealogy. The new Mike Watt // J Mascis release is out today through Red Parakeet Records, pairing one cover from each side of the Dinosaur Jr./Minutemen-descended family tree.
According to the official Bandcamp page, the release is the third installment in Red Parakeet’s “one-for-one” split seven-inch series. Watt covers “The Little Baby,” originally from Dinosaur Jr.’s Whatever’s Cool With Me, while Mascis covers “Formal Introduction,” from Dos’ Justamente Tres.
The two-track release is available digitally and as a 7-inch, with Bandcamp listing a Record/Vinyl + Digital Album edition shipping on or around May 22, 2026. Several vinyl variants are already marked sold out on the page, including opaque pink, lavender opaque mix, glow-in-the-dark, opaque natural with black swirl, opaque natural, virgin black, and opaque orange.
The credits are exactly the kind of detail that makes this more than a novelty swap. “The Little Baby” was performed by Mike Watt, written by J Mascis, recorded in July 2025 by Pete Mazich at Casa Hanzo in San Pedro, and finished by Watt at studio tHUNDERpANTS. The track features Watt on bass, fuzz bass, and “not so calm voice,” with George Hurley on drums and “calm voice.”
Mascis’ side, “Formal Introduction,” was written by Raymond Pettibon and Mike Watt, recorded in January 2026 at Bisquiteen Studio in Amherst, and mixed by Mark Alan Miller, with Mascis credited for music and vocals. Scott Hull handled mastering and lacquers at Masterdisk, Casey Burns handled art and design, and Gotta Groove Records pressed the vinyl in Cleveland.
It is a small release, but a neat one: Watt taking on Mascis’ slacker-melodic sprawl, Mascis taking on Watt’s post-punk lineage, and both of them sounding like they know exactly how much history can fit on seven inches when nobody over-explains the bit.