Father John Misty knows how to churn out a few great couplets. Thankfully, they are in fine form on his recently released single, "The Payoff," the artist's second single of 2026. It's certainly not folk, but that's a good thing.
And not because folk is bad, of course, but more because the track showcases Josh Tillman (the real name of Father John Misty) and his high-end talent in creating a fantastic structure to go along with his elite lyrics. He's like the new Morrissey without all the tour drama.
The song begins a bit repetitive, but don't be alarmed. It changes. About 30 seconds in, Misty enters in a clear voice, playing with the notes. The reason the music was layered at the beginning becomes clear as a setup for the excellence to come.
Father John Misty brings the magic on "The Payoff"
In fact, the backdrop evolves over the course of the track, becoming a bit more, well...frightening. Mirroring the words and then augmenting them with a fairly great guitar solo halfway through. Heck, there are even touches of prog in the latter third of the track.
Is the song about a minute too long? Sure, but we get our money's worth. It would have been better had it just ended abruptly about four minutes in. Even the last minute is better than most musical acts can ever do, however.
Plus, these third-verse lyrics are pure gold:
"It's a low-risk proposition
Don't lose your shirt
I'll appraise your body's worth
C'mon, a small cut ain't bound to hurt"
If you want to hear Father John Misty do the song live, you might have a chance, assuming he plays it. He has a bunch of 2026 tour dates left. They are as below.
Father John Misty remaining 2026 tour dates:
- 05-14 Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
- 05-15 Salt Lake City - Kilby Block Party
- 05-16 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
- 05-17 Pomona, CA - The Fox Theater
- 06-01 Lisbon, Portugal - Sagres Campo Pequeno
- 06-02 Porto, Portugal - Coliseu do Porto
- 06-04 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Barcelona
- 06-06 Aarhus, Denmark - Northside Festival
- 06-08 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Live At Amsterdam Bos
- 06-09 Cologne, Germany - Carlswerk Victoria
- 06-10 Antwerp, Belgium - OLT Rivierenhof
- 06-12 London, England - Lido Festival
- 06-14 Wicklow, Ireland - Beyond the Pale Festival
- 06-20 Winnetka, IL - Winnetka Music Festival
- 06-30 Montreal, Quebec - Le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
- 07-02 Quebec City, Quebec - Palais Montcalm - Salle Raoul-Jobin
- 07-06 Hamilton, Ontario - FirstOntario Concert Hall
- 07-07 Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe
- 07-08 St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre
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