Robyn Hitchcock, the 73-year-old English rock survivor, has released a new album titled The Confuser, recorded in Nashville with a crack team of session musicians.
The album opens with the Lennonesque powerpop track I Am This Thing, which begins with the line: "I owe a lot to a dead man's cock."
Hitchcock now lives in Nashville with his second wife, Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift, where he runs a boutique record label.
He sees his move to Music City as validation of his status as a real musician.
"Making it work in Nashville means I actually am a real musician songwriter in the real musician songwriter town," he said.
A Lifetime of Influences
Hitchcock's influences are deeply rooted in the 1960s. He cites Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett, and the Beatles as primary inspirations.
"Although my prime influence was Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett showed me how I could be it. And I actually wound up sounding like John Lennon," he explained.
His first memoir, 1967, details how he absorbed the music of that pivotal year.
His second memoir, Stranded in the Future, is a writerly work that prioritizes poetic truth over literal accuracy.
Hitchcock admits to creating his own personal myth, which he then plunders for songs and stories.
Hitchcock's career began with the Soft Boys in Cambridge, whose second album Underwater Moonlight became an influential classic.
He later formed Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, achieving college rock success in the US with hits like Balloon Man and So You Think You're in Love.
The New Album and Beyond
The Confuser finds Hitchcock exploring new territory, with Nashville musicians providing a walking bass and cowbell groove on My Dead Astronaut and a white funk workout on Building from the Ruins.
The album is a comfortable addition to his catalog, yet still shows his willingness to disrupt.
Hitchcock has often been described as elusive, both in his music and his public persona.
He once considered building a robot to front his band so he could remain hidden.
"I became the robot because I didn't have the technical abilities to make one," he said.
At 73, Hitchcock remains unresolved, a quality that makes his work enduring.
The Confuser is set for release on 24 July via Tiny Ghost records, with a UK and European tour beginning in September.
