Tom Waits released a spoken-word track titled “The Fly” on July 31 [1].
The release marks a rare return to the spotlight for the musician, who has maintained a prolonged absence from new recordings. The track arrives as a B-side to his collaboration with Massive Attack, titled “Boots on the Ground” [4].
Waits described the new piece as a darkly comic monologue. "The Fly features my appreciation for the winged nuisance," Waits said [4]. The recording is currently available for online listening and serves as a precursor to a physical release [5].
The track will be featured on a charity 12-inch vinyl slated for release on Sept. 4 [4]. This physical edition aims to support charitable causes through the sale of the collaboration [4].
There are conflicting reports regarding the length of the artist's hiatus before this release. Some reports state this is the first new music since 2011 [1], while other sources indicate the release follows seven years of silence [6].
Waits has built a career on blending avant-garde sounds with storytelling. “The Fly” continues this tradition by focusing on a mundane household pest through a wry lens [5]. The collaboration with Massive Attack further blends Waits' unique vocal delivery with the trip-hop influences of the Bristol-based group [4].
“"The Fly features my appreciation for the winged nuisance."”
The release of 'The Fly' signals a rare moment of output from Tom Waits, an artist known for unpredictable gaps between projects. By pairing a spoken-word piece with a high-profile collaboration like Massive Attack, Waits leverages a modern electronic platform to deliver his traditional avant-garde storytelling, while the charity vinyl format targets the collector market to maximize the project's philanthropic impact.
