Last month, the New Pornographers released a 7-inch for subscribers of band leader A.C. Newman's Substack newsletter. Now, they've shared the A-side widely, as "Ballad of the Last Payphone" is out now via Merge Records.
Newman said in a statement, "This song was inspired by a Raymond Carver story called 'Fat' and tells the story of a person visiting the last payphone in NYC where it currently sits, in the Museum of the City of New York. The narrator doesn't know why they are so fascinated by it, but to us it should be obvious. Obvious to me, at least."
The song is a more melancholy number than the giddy power pop the New Pornographers are often known for, with marching acoustic strums and flourishes of pedal steel and what sounds like a trumpet. Hear it below.
The 7-inch's B-side, "Ego Death for Beginners," remains exclusive to the vinyl.