Father John Misty Releases New Single "The X-panded Universe"

Father John Misty has released a new one-off single, "The X-panded Universe." The track is either Josh Tillman's second or third new song of 2026, arriving after "The Payoff" and "The Old Law" — though "The Old Law" had circulated since 2024 under a different title, "God's Trash."

The new song's lyrics invite a pop-culture reading. "In the crossover event/God is only as good as the villains he invents…There must be timelines like this/Where heroes don't exist," Tillman sings — lines that, to some ears, evoke the latter-day Marvel Cinematic Universe. Listeners can judge for themselves.

Tillman released his last Father John Misty album, Mahashmashana, in late 2024. He followed it with a collection of demos marking the 10th anniversary of his 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear.

In December, Tillman will play a short run of West Coast dates — his first tour without a full band in over a decade. Damien Jurado will support the entire run. The itinerary opens October 6 at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and continues in December:

• 12-09 Boulder, CO — Boulder Theatre
• 12-10 Ft. Collins, CO — Washington's
• 12-12 Santa Fe, NM — The Lensic Center for the Arts
• 12-13 Tucson, AZ — La Rosa
• 12-15 Napa, CA — Uptown Theater
• 12-16 Grass Valley, CA — Center for the Arts
• 12-18 Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA — Sunset Cultural Center
• 12-19 Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA — Sunset Cultural Center

The stripped-back December run will offer a rare chance to hear Tillman's recent material — including "The X-panded Universe" — without a full band behind him.