Father John Misty has shared a new single called ‘The Old Law’ – you can listen to it below.
- Read More: Father John Misty – ‘Mahashmashana’ review: perhaps his most sincere album yet
The latest offering by the US singer-songwriter (real name Joshua Tillman) was previously known to fans as ‘God’s Trash’, which was debuted as part of his live set in autumn 2024.
He also shared a version of the track on social media along with artwork parodying Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks towards Drake. Lamar had surprise-released his album ‘GNX’ the same day FJM dropped his LP ‘Mahashmashana’. “I’m waiting,” the latter captioned the post.
The official version of the song – now titled ‘The Old Law’ – arrived on major streaming platforms today (Friday January 9) via Sub Pop.
It was produced by Drew Erickson and Tillman, mixed by Michael Harris and Jonathan Wilson at Fivestar Studios in Los Angeles, and mastered by Adam Amyan at Ayan Mastering.
“A man’s life/ God’s trash/ There’s no law but the old law, baby/ Petit four/ Nothing dies/ ‘Cept by ass drawn kamikaze/ Year Zero in the summertime,” Tillman sings in the fuzzy, indie-rock cut.
A blistering electric guitar solo rips through the middle section of ‘The Old Law’, making way for a psychedelic-flavoured, Beatles-esque instrumental. Tune in here:
Father John Misty’s UK and European tour is set to begin on June 1 in Lisbon, Portugal. The trek also includes appearances at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and LIDO Festival in London. He appears on the line-up in the capital alongside the likes of Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory and Katy J Pearson, with CMAT headlining.
These dates will follow a run of performances across North America, which begins on March 23. Visit here for tickets.
Last month saw Tillman cover The Who, Neil Young, The Magnetic Fields and more at a benefit show in California.
In early 2025, Father John Misty celebrated the 10th anniversary of his second album album ‘I Love You, Honeybear’ by releasing a remastered reissue. He also joked about the milestone coinciding with ‘rival’ Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, writing: “Today of all days.”
His sixth album ‘Mahashmashana’ arrived in late 2024, earning a four-star review from NME. It read: “The lush ‘Mahashmashana’ doesn’t quite mainline the zeitgeist in the same way that ‘Honeybear’ and ‘Pure Comedy’ did. Then again, there’s something to be said, in 2024, for logging off in favour of self-reflection.
“On the swooning ‘Mental Health’, Misty rejects the hive mind, concluding that his own particular ‘insanity‘ is ‘indispensable‘. Whoever the folk he is underneath that beard, the good Father can’t help but share words of wisdom.”
