Wilco Share Another New Cruel Country Single, “Tired of Taking It Out on You”

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.