“Mr. Tillman”

In January, after Josh Tillman won a Grammy for his third Father John Misty album, Pure Comedy, he acknowledged the award after the ceremony by saying, “Fuck society.” Given that the gloomily apocalyptic album’s most memorable lyric involved “bedding Taylor Swift every night inside the Oculus Rift,” this might be best described in “Shake It Off” terms: Father John Misty’s gonna Father John Misty. His new single, “Mr. Tillman,” extends this now-familiar man-as-meme presentation, but with somewhat diminishing returns.

Where Pure Comedy cast its withering gaze at the broader culture, “Mr. Tillman” feels slight and insular. Musically, it’s three minutes of dewy folk-pop, distinguished mainly by Tillman’s, ahem, provocative decision to whistle. Narratively, it’s yet another of Father John Misty’s semi-ironic tales. The verses are sung from the perspective of a hotel employee inquiring about Mr. Tillman’s rather eccentric behavior: leaving a mattress out in the rain, accusing other clientele of being movie extras. In the harmony-drenched chorus, Tillman blithely insists he’s fine, singing, “Don’t be alarmed, this is just my vibe.” Funnily enough, the characters we end up wanting to know most about on “Mr. Tillman,” like the clerk and a slyly name-checked Jason Isbell, aren’t “Mr. Tillman.” Left unclear is what this might say about society—or about the rest of Father John Misty’s upcoming fourth album. This is most definitely his vibe, but it’s not alarming so much as a bit tired.