Good things come to those who follow Father John Misty’s Soundcloud.
After the rather silent debut of “Real Love Baby” this summer and J. Tillman’s recent deletion of his Twitter and Instagram, checking up on the folk singer’s music account proved to be useful again last night, when he debuted a new song called “Holy Hell.” Although the new track seems to be in its fledgling stage with just bare-bones piano and vocals, the demo fleshes out typical Father John Misty-style attitude about current events.
“Hell, holy hell, holy hell/Damn the future ain’t lookin’ so bright” he drawls over the piano ballad, swirling stripped-down Americana with his usual dismal wit. With the 2016 presidential election in the rearview mirror, there isn’t much left to the imagination about what Tillman could be referring to.
In the brief track, which clocks in at 2:53, he drops more lyrical hints, describing
“this unfathomable nameless rift” and affirming that “the world won’t end unless we want it to.”
While we don’t know whether or not this is a mere demo or finished, LP-ready track, the tune will likely go down in Tillman’s library alongside his other great ballads like “Holy Shit” and “I Went To The Store One Day.”
Have a listen for yourself below. Featured Father John Misty photo by Matthew Shelter for Vanyaland.