Pure Comedy, Father John Misty’s third album, is a complex, often sarcastic, and equally often touching meditation on the bewildering madness of modern humanity. Father John Misty is the project of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman. While much could be said about Pure Comedy (notably that it is a bold and important album in the vein of great American songwriters such as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Leonard Cohen), we believe it’s best to let its creator describe it himself. The floor is yours, Mr. Tillman: “Pure Comedy is the story of a species born with a half-formed brain. Its only hope for survival, as it finds itself on a cruel and unpredictable rock, surrounded by other species that seem much more at ease in this domain (and for whom they are a delight), lies in its reliance on other, slightly older, and also half-formed brains. This reliance takes on different names throughout their history, such as "love", "culture", "family", etc. Over time, and as their brain proves remarkably adept at inventing meaning where there is none, the species falls prey to increasingly bizarre and sophisticated ironies. These ironies are designed to help them endure their hateful vulnerability and to try to reconcile the gap between their imagination and the monotony of their existence.” The album Pure Comedy was recorded in 2016 at the legendary United Studios (Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Beck) in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Father John Misty and Jonathan Wilson, with engineering by Misty’s long-time sound engineer Trevor Spencer, and orchestral arrangements by renowned composer and double bassist Gavin Bryars (known for his significant solo work and collaborations with Brian Eno, Tom Waits, and Derek Bailey).