“The Melting of the Sun” is the second single St. Vincent has shared from her upcoming album, Daddy’s Home, which is due in full on May 14 via Loma Vista Records. Like the lead single “Pay Your Way in Pain,” it shows that the whole album will be a throwback to the music of the 1970s.

This song blends the folk and soul sides of the ‘70s, with references in the lyrics to artists such as Joni Mitchell (“Smoking reds where Furry sang the blues”) and Nina Simone (“Singing ‘Mississippi good goddamn’”). It’s a mellow tune with psychedelic organ and bass tones, and a subtle mixture of acoustic and electric guitar. St. Vincent is backed by some soulful backing vocalists, who she lets take over for the outro.

It was released along with a lyric video that portrays St. Vincent as an animated sun with flashing rays in muted colors, hovering over the ocean. “It’s just the melting of the sun/It’s just the sun/I wanna watch you watch it burn/So watch it burn,” she sings during the chorus.

The record addresses the release of St. Vincent’s father from prison in 2019. She stated that he had been put behind bars for white-collar crime. It’s available for physical pre-order on St. Vincent’s site with vinyl, CD and cassette options. There’s also plenty of merch available.

Her last album was Masseduction, which was one of mxdwn’s Top 50 Albums of 2017. She also shared a stripped piano version of it called MassEducation, which came out the following year. St. Vincent began releasing music under her stage name in 2006 with her Paris is Burning EP and has continued to release variations of lush pop music since then. Daddy’s Home will be her seventh studio album.

Photo credit: Owen Ela