Father John Misty – “Goodbye Mr. Blue”

In one month, Father John Misty will come back with Chloë And The Next 20th Century, the long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s God’s Favorite Customer. The Mist has already shared two singles from the new LP, “Funny Girl” and “Q4.” Now he’s dropped a third early track on us.

“Goodbye Mr. Blue,” which Father John Misty and his band will perform on Colbert Wednesday night, is a soft, sad, pretty song, and it finds Josh Tillman sounding downbeat and slightly wounded, musing about forcing himself to get out of bed because this might be the last time he does it. He sings over a fingerpicked acoustic guitar, a murmuring pedal steel, and slow swells of strings.

The whole Nilsson-esque feel of “Goodbye Mr. Blue,” the richly orchestrated ’70s-style singer-songwriter vibe, is nothing new for Father John Misty. In the past, though, Tillman has gone all-in on pyrotechnic lyrical cleverness. This song isn’t like that. It’s a direct, unfussy bum-out of a track. Listen below.

Chloë And The Next 20th Century is out 4/8 on Sub Pop and Bella Union.