Butch Walker wrote much of his new album “Afraid of Ghosts” as a tribute to his late father, who died in 2013, including the song “Father’s Day.” The singer and songwriter premieres the track today on Speakeasy.

It’s a subdued, mournful sounding song that blends piano and acoustic guitar with bass and drums as it builds to a searing guitar solo, courtesy of punk-rock veteran Bob Mould.

“He walked in the studio when we were tracking it and heard the lyrics and immediately wanted to sing and play on it,” Walker says by email. “Turns out his dad had died two years to the week we recorded it. I guess it struck him the same way it would me. He was very close with his old man. We had a moment after recording it.”

If the song has a hint of Ryan Adams in the way it feels and sounds, that’s fitting: Adams produced “Afraid of Ghosts” and took a hands-on role with “Father’s Day.”

“I played it for Ryan in my hotel room when we were talking about doing my record,” Walker says. “Immediately he started picking it apart and writing alternate verse lyrics here and there. I ended up combining our words to make the final verses and it just felt right. It's one of my proudest moments and I know my Pop would’ve loved it.”