Chloë and the Next 20th Century Father John Misty

• 1Chloë03:28
• 2Goodbye Mr. Blue05:00
• 3Kiss Me (I Loved You)03:57
• 4(Everything But) Her Love04:16
• 5Buddy's Rendezvous04:59
• 6Q404:57
• 7Olvidado (Otro Momento)04:48
• 8Funny Girl03:39
• 9Only A Fool04:02
• 10We Could Be Strangers04:31
• 11The Next 20th Century06:56
• Total Runtime50:33

Info for Chloë and the Next 20th Century

Father John Misty returns with Chloë and The Next 20th Century, his fifth album and first new material since the release of God’s Favorite Customer in 2018.

Chloë and The Next 20th Century was written and recorded August through December 2020 and features arrangements by Drew Erickson. The album sees Father John Misty - aka Josh Tillman - and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson resume their longtime collaboration, with Dave Cerminara returning as engineer and mixer. Basic tracks were recorded at Wilson’s Five Star Studios with strings, brass and woodwinds recorded at United Recordings in a session featuring Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, among others.

Box set version includes 2 bonus 7"s, one of which features Lana Del Rey covering album track "Buddy's Rendezvous," while the other has Jack Cruz's version of a "Kiss Me (I Loved You)."

"Father John Misty's combination of caustic wit and staggering talent as both a vocalist and songwriter has resulted in a catalog of varied, consistently strong albums, but he reaches new levels of refinement and grandeur on fifth album Chloë and the Next 20th Century. With earlier output, Misty (aka Josh Tillman) put his bile-dripping storytelling and darkly comical character sketches at the forefront of his songs, using instrumentation as an accessory for his scathing commentary and depraved character sketches. This took the form of epic, sometimes overblown production on 2017's Pure Comedy and stripped-down, vocals-forward rock on 2018's God's Favorite Customer. Chloë and the Next 20th Century, however, is a softer, more thoughtful reading on FJM's sound, toning down his often ugly observations by letting gorgeous orchestral arrangements and gently beautiful songwriting occupy equal space with his persona. The Tin Pan Alley instrumentation that starts the album on jaunty opener "Chloë" sets a tone of timelessness, as it draws on the carefree, strolling energy of '70s songwriters like Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, softening the snark and vitriol of Tillman's typically sharp lyrical content. "Goodbye Mr. Blue" goes so far as to rework Nilsson's 1968 hit "Everybody's Talkin'," sounding dangerously close to the original, but with lyrics about a couple uncomfortably coming back together over the death of their cat. "Funny Girl" is similarly ornate, with cinematic touches supporting a loungey lope. Tillman explores torch song territory on the sweetly sad "Buddy's Rendezvous" and a bossa nova sway on "Olvidado (Otro Momento)." While the arrangements on 2015's I Love You, Honeybear could be similarly grand at times, Father John Misty has never turned in anything as ambitious as the impeccable sonic tailoring of Chloë and the Next 20th Century. Fans who fell in love with Tillman's sharp social commentary will find plenty to hone in on, but the lush sounds take some of the bite out of his clever barbs and cynical perspectives on love and connection. Even with the strong, considered design of his previous albums, Father John Misty has never sounded so pleasant." (Fred Thomas, AMG)

Father John Misty

Father John Misty
brings folk into the 21st century with each eclectic element he incorporates into his unique sound, and his charismatic showmanship makes his live shows a must-see. When he's strumming his way through ballads like ìThe Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartmentî his emotional vocals and heartbreaking lyrics make alt-country fans feel right at home. But heís just as comfortable strutting his stuff to noisy, spiteful rockers like ìThe Ideal Husbandî and turning out full-blown electronica on tracks like the transcendently beautiful ìTrue Affectionî. With his singular combination of Americana traditions with cutting-edge sounds, Father John Misty is a folk icon for a new generation.

Before making his debut as Father John Misty in 2012, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Tillman was busy recording late-night demos in the Seattle-area. After self-releasing two CD-R demos he attracted the attention of Fargo Records, and in 2006 the label released his debut album Minor Works. In 2008 Tillman was tapped by indie darlings Fleet Foxes, who needed a drummer for the recording of their self-titled debut. Though he gained widespread exposure and success with Fleet Foxes, Tillman left to pursue his creative reinvention as Father John Misty in 2012. After a warm reception from critics and fans for his debut album Fear Fun, he set out on his first solo headlining tour. His 2015 follow-up album I Love You, Honeybear was a breakthrough success, appearing on best-of lists from esteemed sources like Pitchfork, Roughtrade, and Stereogum. As he continues to breathe new life into indie folk with his wide-ranging influences and poetic gifts, Father John Mistyís electrifying performances have fans eagerly anticipating whatís next from the innovative troubadour.

This album contains no booklet.