Liz Phair has announced the release date for Soberish, her first album of original material in 11 years and shared new song, “Spanish Doors.” The follow-up LP to 2010’s Funstyle arrives on June 4th via Chrysalis Records and is available for preorder.
“I found my inspiration for Soberish by delving into an early era of my music development, my art school years spent listening to Art Rock and New Wave music non-stop on my Walkman,” she said in a statement. “The English Beat, The Specials, Madness, R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People, Yazoo, the Psychedelic Furs, Talking Heads, Velvet Underground, Laurie Anderson, and the Cars. The city came alive for me as a young person, the bands in my headphones lending me the courage to explore.”
The 13-song set was produced by longtime collaborator Brad Wood, who helmed Phair’s acclaimed Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart and Whitechocolatespaceegg.
On the catchy new song “Spanish Doors,” Phair’s lyrics address the emotional fallout of a relationship gone awry where losing one’s sense of self can be overwhelming and “the ghost I see in the mirror doesn’t smile anymore.”
“Pushing past the table, spilling my drink/Locked up in the bathroom, staring at the sink/I don’t want to see anybody I know,” she sings. “I don’t want to be anywhere that you and I used to go.”
Phair said she drew inspiration for the song from a friend who was going through a divorce. It’s “about the fracturing of a beautiful life, when everything you counted on is suddenly thrown up for grabs,” she said.
“You look at yourself in the mirror and wonder who you are now, shadows of doubt creeping into your eyes. Just a few moments ago you were a whole, confident person,” she added. “And now you wonder how you’ll ever get the magic back.”
“Spanish Doors” follows the previously released LP tracks “Hey Lou” and “Good Side.”
Soberish Tracklist
1. “Spanish Doors”
2. “The Game”
3. “Hey Lou”
4. “In There”
5. “Good Side”
6. “Sheridan Side”
7. “Ba Ba Ba”
8. “Soberish”
9. “Soul Sucker”
10. “Lonely Street”
11. “Dosage”
12. “Bad Kitty”
13. “Rain Scene”
From Rolling Stone US
