Alex G is entering a wild new era with “Blessing,” a new single that sounds like little else in his recent discography. Wherever he’s headed musically, he’ll be taking this sound on the road in October and November with a newly-announced North American headlining tour.
The formerly (Sandy) songwriter’s last proper album was 2019’s House of Sugar, though just a month ago he shared his moody soundtrack to the new movie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. In comparison, “Blessing” is dripping with swagger; Alex G opens the track with a wall of distortion that gives way to marching drums and a strutting guitar riff. The lyrics are delivered in a call-and-response whisper, with Alex G beginning with the words, “Every day,” and waiting for the words “Every day” to be echoed back to him before continuing, “Is a blessing.”
“So, I was up pretty early one morning because I couldn’t sleep and I started playing guitar and wrote this song really quickly,” Alex G said in an interview with Apple Music’s Hanuman Welch. “I guess something special about it is… once I demo’d it out and showed it to my band we all recorded it together at this studio in upstate New York. We had never done that before. Everything at once in the room together. The song is chopped up. The instrumentals were all done live, which is kinda unique I guess. To be honest, I wrote it so quick. Maybe lack of sleep helped write it.”
The track comes with a music video directed by Zev Magasis. It shows the songwriter in sunglasses and a black goatee, wearing his hair in spiked tips like a personification of 1997.
Check out “Blessing” below, and catch it live on his upcoming tour. As previously announced, Alex G will be opening in June for Bright Eyes, while his headlining trek in October and November will be supported by Barrie, Hatchie, and Sadurn. The 29-date jaunt includes an appearance at When We Were Young Festival and multi-night stands in Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. Ticket pre-sale runs Tuesday through Thursday, with general on-sale beginning Friday at 10:00 a.m. local time. Book your seat here, and scroll onward for the full tour itinerary.
Alex G 2022 Tour Dates:
06/01 — Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J. Brady Icon Music Center !
06/02 — Richmond, VA @ Brown’s Island !
06/03 –Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage !
06/04 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall !
06/05 — LaFayette, NY @ Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards !
10/06 — Saxaphaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom @
10/07 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel @
10/08 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse @
10/09 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl @
10/10 — St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway @
10/12 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre @
10/14 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell @
10/16 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox @
10/17 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom @
10/19 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #
10/21 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern #
10/22 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park #
10/24 — Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge #
10/26 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s #
10/27 — Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips #
10/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young
11/01 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
11/02 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
11/03 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
11/04 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre #
11/05 — Toronto, Ontario @ Danforth Music Hall #
11/06 — Montreal, Quebec @ Le Studio TD #
11/08 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club #
11/09 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club #
11/11 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
11/12 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
11/17 — Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club #
11/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
11/19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
! = w/ Bright Eyes
@ = w/ Barrie
# = w/ Hatchie
$ = w/ Sadurn