Song of the Day: Ty Segall - Alta

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is "Alta" by Ty Segall, a new single out now on Drag City.

Ty Segall - Alta (MP3)

It's been a busy year for California ax-man Ty Segall, having released his critically lauded self-titled album in January and the ACLU-benefiting odds-and-sods Fried Shallots EP in July. Now he’s back with single “Alta,” a lushly painted historical love letter to his home state, with legendary producer Steve Albini at the helm (and his Freedom Band resolutely in tow).

Opening with a lovely, lilting organ melody, “Alta” is equal parts tender and ferocious, its pre-Colonial backdrop providing the setting for Segall’s environmental parable rife with blustering ships and bucolic scenery, before the master songwriter launches into the fuzzed-out riffs, blissful vocal melodies, and smoldering guitar solos that have made him an indie household name.

This is still the garage-rock loving Segall we know and love, but there’s an understated flair for the dramatic here, too, as he unleashes a swelling power-pop chorus and storming instrumentation, declaring fearlessly “I would fight to save you/I would give my life.”

Segall is headed out on a European tour in early 2018 and touring America with Queens of the Stone Age. Follow him on Facebook for more tour and album release news. And watch his most recent KEXP in-studio, filmed back in March, below.