Wilco are back with another preview of their self-described “first country music album,” Cruel Country, coming May 27 via the band’s own dBpm Records. “Tired of Taking It Out on You” is out now alongside new North American tour dates, as well as the announcement that Wilco and Jeff Tweedy will livestream their sets at the band’s upcoming Solid Sound Festival, set for May 27-29 at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Like “Falling Apart (Right Now)” before it, “Tired of Taking It Out on You” finds Tweedy and company considering how best to move through a cruel world with care and compassion; while on the former track, Tweedy asked a loved one to leave room for his emotions (“Now, don’t you lose your mind / While I’m looking for mine”), the latter finds him pushing himself to be kind, rather than lashing out at those he holds dearest, even when the world has worn him thin (“I’m ashamed / Of who I am / When I’m in pain”). The instrumental is fittingly gentle, draping acoustic strums and twangy electric noodling over restrained drums, with the occasional Nels Cline pedal steel flourish streaked across it. There’s a slight rasp to Tweedy’s voice, almost as if he’s singing with a lump in his throat.
Tweedy says of the song in a statement:
I’ve realized over the years that a lot of the songs I’ve written have worked as reminders to myself to pay attention to various things. Sometimes I think I’ve figured out how the world works in some small way, and I worry I’ll forget it if I don’t sing it back to myself occasionally. This song, I believe, is going to come in handy for just that purpose. I’m a person who needs to stay alert to how I’m treating others when I’m not feeling my best. And now that I mention it, when I look around, it seems like a lot of us have been taking things out on each other when we would be better served striving for understanding and empathy. I’m just trying to be honest with myself, and I guess I’m hoping if this song can help me focus on that, maybe someone else could find it useful in the same way.
Wilco will perform Cruel Country live for the first time on Solid Sound’s first night, Friday, May 27, followed by a regular Wilco set on Saturday, May 28, and Jeff Tweedy & Friends on Sunday, May 29. All three sets will livestream via Flymachine, accessible with the purchase of single-day ($20) or three-day ($50) passes. Livestream passes are on sale now, with tickets for the band’s tour going on sale this Friday, May 13, at 10 a.m. local time.
Watch the “Tired of Taking It Out on You” video—shot in the band’s Loft studio, where they recorded Cruel Country—and a 1996 Wilco performance from the Paste archives below, and find the band’s tour dates further down, with their new shows in bold. While you’re at it, revisit our recent interview with John Stirratt.
Wilco Tour Dates:
May
27-29 – North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
June
11 – Oslo, NE @ Loaded Festival
13 – Copenhagen, DK @ Amager Bio
14 – Koln, DE @ E-Werk
16 – Frankfurt, DE @ Alte Oper
17 – Zeebrugge, BE @ Zeebrugge Beach Festival
18 – Kent, UK @ Black Deer Festival
20 – San Sebastian, ES @ Auditorio del Centro Kursaal
21 – Zaragoza, ES @ Parque Grande Jose Antonio Labordeta
22 – Barcelona, ES @ Poble Espanyol
24 – Valencia, ES @ Auditorio Casa de la Cultura de Burjassot
25 – Murcia, ES @ Plaza De Toros Murcia
27 – Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico
28 – Madrid, ES @ Noches Del Botanico
July
01 – Beuningen, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Festival
August
12 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Paramount Theatre
13 – Bellevue, NE @ Outlandia Festival
14 – Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
16 – Newport, KY @ PromoWest Pavilion Outdoor at OVATION
17 – Interlochen, MI @ Interlochen Center for the Arts/Kresge Auditorium
18 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
20 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
21 – Cooperstown, NY @ Brewery Ommegang
23 – Lafayette, NY @ Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards
24 – Burlington, VT @ The Green at Shelburne Museum
25 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
27 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
28 – Martha’s Vineyard, MA @ Beach Road Weekend
September
09 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
11 – Fargo, ND @ Fargo Brewing Company Outdoors
12 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science
14 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
15 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Opera
17 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
20 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
21 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
23 – Calgary, AB @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
24 – Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
October
02 – Memphis, TN @ Mempho Fest
04 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
05 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
07 – Columbia, MO @ Roots N Blues Festival
