Musician Father John Misty (Joshua Michael Tillman) has shared two new tracks “To S.” and “To R.” which are set to be on the A-Side of Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5, a subscription-based vinyl delivery service that launched in April of this year and is expected to end next February. These latest tracks were recorded at Fivestar Studios and Funky Monkey Soundhaus North Hollywood, Los Angeles. The songs were produced by Bobby Krlic and Dave Cerminara, mixed by Cerminara and mastered by Adan Ayan at Gateway Mastering.
“To S.” is a light piano ballad, with some ethereal strings and a light acoustic guitar forming the bulk of the song’s instrumental. Tillman’s soft vocals are complemented by its thought-provoking lyrics, whose chorus states “What about life on the ground/ Makes you feel so strange/ Without the blues you’re tethered to/ I’m sure you’d float away.” These lyrics evoke the image of losing someone you’re close to, (possibly due to substance abuse as it states “High on your own supply”) while struggling to keep them or their memory with you.
“To R.” is a bit more sonically upbeat, with a catchy piano line and uptempo drums backing this instrumental, complete with a strong emotional vocal performance. Tillman’s signature lyricism is on display here as well, as he crafts cryptic stories evoking philosophy (“God is dead, God is dyin'”) and literary devices once again (“Buddy, what’s wrong? Like the angel of death/Stopped by to ask about the extra room you rent”).
The performer released a new EP titled Anthem +3 back in July, which featured covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem,” and “One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong,””Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ “Trouble” and Link Wray’s “Fallin’ Rain.” Tillman recently appeared on compilation featuring the likes of Elton John, Kesha and Nick Cave.
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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