Barry Thomas Goldberg is an American singer-songwriter known for his 1974 solo album Misty Flats. Prior to its release, Goldberg was a member of the Minneapolis-based power pop group The Batch, which disbanded that same year when Goldberg was 23. After the breakup, he set out to record Misty Flats, an album that, while largely unnoticed at the time, has since gained recognition for its distinct style and emotional depth.

Reflecting the mood of the era, Misty Flats captured a sense of uncertainty in post-Vietnam War America during the final days of Watergate. According to Goldberg, the album represented his own feelings of being at a crossroads: “neither high road nor low, but somewhere in between.” Unlike the harmony-rich power pop of The Batch, which drew comparisons to bands like Big Star and The Rubinoos, Misty Flats embraced a raw, introspective, and experimental loner-folk sound. Goldberg has stated that he originally envisioned it as a punk rock album, suggesting that had he recorded the songs with a band, it might have embodied the early punk spirit.