Do we dare to dream of a new Father John Misty album this year? Well, we're loosely anticipating one, and now our educated guess is backed up by new music.
We don't know if "The Old Law," out today, is a first taste of the follow-up to 2024's Mahashmashana. What we do know is that Josh Tillman has been performing it live since the fall of 2024, previously under the title "God's Trash." Tillman and his Mahashmashana string arrangement overlord Drew Erickson produced the studio recording, with mixing by Michael Harris and Tillman's longtime co-conspirator Jonathan Wilson.
In this incarnation, "The Old Law" is a gnarly psych-pop track with lots of low end and many illustrious layers of guitar. It's hard not to think about John Lennon's songs on the post-touring Beatles albums, from the sardonic posture to the melodic sensibility. "A man's life, God's trash," Tillman sings on the chorus. "There's no law but the old law, baby."
Listen below.
"The Old Law" is out now on Sub Pop.
