August 1, 2023

Wilco - "Evicted"


Beloved alt-country heroes Wilco have announced their third album since 2019 and thirteenth record overall. It's called Cousin and it's out this fall.

You gotta give it up for Wilco. Over thirty years into their existence as a band and the group are churning out new records at a rapid clip. Sure, their latest records haven't become the cultural touchstones like some of their earlier classics, but you'd be hard pressed to find a band who has delivered such consistent results for so long. Don't get me wrong, I won't argue that every Wilco album is a must-hear, but I'll definitely make the case that their discography ranges from one of the top releases of the new millennium to pretty good (at their worst). Today, the band announced their thirteenth studio album (sidenote: given their hometown being Chicago and their songs use in episodes of The Bear, I refuse to believe this is not a tribute to one of the best shows on television and thus makes me love this band even more) is coming this fall and with the announcement, they shared their new song "Evicted." By now, you probably know what to expect: soft acoustic guitar, gentle drums that skiffle with a country-like waltz, and probably some electric guitar that zings along the undercurrent of the song. "Evicted" has those elements in spades and once again signals another strong release from a band that has already carved their name into indie rock history. Leader Jeff Tweedy commented, "I guess I was trying to write from the point of view of someone struggling to make an argument for themself in the face of overwhelming evidence that they deserve to be locked out of someone's heart. Self-inflicted wounds still hurt and in my experience they’re almost impossible to fully recover from." Even with music that sounds so lovely and bright, it wouldn't be a Wilco song without some kind of trouble hidden deep within the lyrics. Luckily for us, Tweedy does it better than most and even his most somber themes are backed with such gripping and poppy sentiments that it's hard to pay so much attention to the sadness when things just sound so hopeful.

Cousin is out September 29

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