Well, this was unexpected.
Reading the lyrics as other listeners decoded them before I got a chance to listen myself I've got to admit I wasn't expecting much - especially as musically it was being compared to Black Cloud, I'm Okay By Myself and ODGWBF - but wow, his vocal delivery has knocked my socks off with this one.
I don't think it's a classic Morrissey song by any means in that it's hard to see a new generation of fans singing along to this en masse but good god, this song has lodged in my head, refused to pay rent and has flung my furniture out into the garden.
The ryhming of "European Musuems", the delivery of "Will I see yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?", the cheeky bawdiness of a "fat aunt mabel" are all excellent and that's before I even get to the best bit.
"Mmmmyyy liiifffee iisssss OOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPEEEEERRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
So great to hear the falsetto back and in tune and so POWERFUL. I could sing this aloud right now if I wasn't working. If we do get this laid down in a studio then it needs to be mastered so that this line is as powerful as it is here. It's amazing. I'm honestly struggling to remember a recent line that he's sold as well as this one. Truly a magical delivery.
The musical break in the middle is nice for a change of pace and you can hear it catch a lot of people out on the night but it's not as accomplished as the breaks on WLISTC or MLSOTR.
I'd say the song is musically a kissing cousin to the YOR tracks - whether or not that's a bad or good thing bepends on your feelings of those songs I suppose.
It also suffers, as I find more and more "new" Morrissey songs do, from having no real ending. When the "When you cannot stand the real world, take my hand" refrain ends it feels like the song is ending but it crashes on for a bit longer, we get the "pills" lines then we go further and end after the "What does it mean?" bit.
It's not the lyrics here I have an issue with but rather the musicians all just kind of wind down and stop. It feels incomplete - especially if you compare it to "Scandinavia" which ends perfectly.
But! Enough negativity! It's new, it's BOLD and it's still in my head. Something must have gone right.