When it comes to Father John Misty, the opening phrase of “Date Night” tends to describe him perfectly—”nothing surprises me much”. Since bowing out from Fleet Foxes in 2012, Josh Tillman has used his adroit nature as the fuel to power tangents on love, politics, religion, sexuality, the trappings of the digital age, and humanity at large through both autobiographical and world-spanning lenses depending on what Father John Misty album you’re looking to delve into. No matter what, though, it’s always been done with a sarcastic, self-contradicting dread that, to many of us, calls back to the days of Frank Zappa.
In regards to God’s Favorite Customer—the latest from Father John Misty—”Date Night” sits comfortably as a surprise dosage of psychedelia between tamer arrangements like “Just Dumb Enough to Try” and “Please Don’t Die”. Tillman’s harrowing account of the hookup culture pronounced so profoundly in many of today’s dating expenditures—particularly through the use of apps—translates well into a funky piece of acid folk. With direction and animation by Chad Vangaalen, its music video is suitably discombobulating. Featuring all manner of vibrant, freakish visuals that all set the spotlight on modern “romance”, the video for “Date Night” makes the song’s more unsettling themes come to light in a bizarrely captivating way.