The Jesus Lizard have released a new standalone single, “Cost of Living,” ahead of their upcoming US tour in December.
The track arrives just over two weeks before the veteran noise rockers kick off the trek on December 5th in Louisville. The outing runs through December 19th in Birmingham, Alabama, and includes a NYC-area stop at Brooklyn Steel on December 11th, plus gigs in Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, and more. Get tickets here.
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The new song is a short two-minute ditty that juggles melodic riffing and a spontaneous burst of punk rock that signals frontman David Yow. The brevity of the track lends greater weight to his words — with only a couple stanzas to work with, it forces a selective turn of phrase and leaves room for ambiguity.
“Simply because I wrote the words to ‘Cost of Living’ doesn’t mean that I know exactly what it’s about,” Yow stated in a press release. “I think it has to do with the dread and self-loathing that addicts experience on a very regular basis. You can pick whichever type of addict you choose.”
On the arrangement, guitarist Duane Denison added: “A friend asked me if we had any tricked-out, odd timing type things with twists and turns, and I said ‘Yeah, I think so….’”
The digital-exclusive track comes in addition to The Jesus Lizard’s 2024 comeback album Rack, which will surely grace many year-end album lists. For more on the LP, check out Kyle Meredith’s podcast interview with Yow.
You can stream “Cost of Living” below.
“Cost of Living” Artwork: