Mitski has released a new song, “Working For The Knife,” her first proper single since 2018’s Be The Cowboy, minus a soundtrack contribution and a comic book score along the way. She’s also announced an extensive run of tour dates scheduled for next year.

“Working For The Knife” was co-produced by Mitski and Patrick Hyland, who she’s worked with on every album since Bury Me At Makeout Creek. “It’s about going from being a kid with a dream, to a grown up with a job, and feeling that somewhere along the way you got left behind,” Mitski said in a statement. “It’s being confronted with a world that doesn’t seem to recognize your humanity, and seeing no way out of it.” The sound of the song is bleary and dark, as Mitski intones about about feeling unfulfilled: “I always knew the world moves on/ I just didn’t know it would go without me/ I start the day high and it ends so low/ ‘Cause I’m working for the knife.”

The track comes with a video directed by Zia Anger with Ashley Conner, which was shot at the striking Albany performance venue The Egg. It starts with Mitski entering in a cowboy hat before shedding it and making her way to the stage; it ends with an extended music-less dance. Watch and listen and check out the tour dates below.

TOUR DATES:
02/17 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
02/18 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
02/19 Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
02/21 Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
02/22 New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
02/24 Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall
02/25 Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
02/26 Austin, TX @ ACL Live at Moody Theater
02/28 Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
03/03 Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Exposition Hall
03/04 Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
03/07 Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
03/09 Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
03/12 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
03/14 St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
03/15 Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
03/17 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
03/18 Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
03/19 Montreal, QC @ St-Jean-Baptiste Church
03/21 Boston, MA @ TBD
03/24 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
03/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
03/26 Washington, DC @ The Anthem
03/29 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
03/30 Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
03/31 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
04/21 Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
04/22 Leeds, UK @ University Stylus
04/23 Glasgow, UK @ Queen Margaret Union
04/25 Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
04/26 Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
04/28 London, UK @ The Roundhouse
04/30 Brussels, BE @ Botanique
05/02 Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
05/03 Paris, FR @ Le Cabaret Sauvage
05/04 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
05/06 Zurich, CH @ Les Docks
05/07 Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
05/09 Berlin, DE @ Metropol
05/10 Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
05/11 Stockholm, SE @ Nalen
05/12 Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall
05/14 Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik
05/15 Cologne, DE @ Stollwerck
05/17 Vienna, AU @ WUK
05/18 Prague, CZ @ Rock Cafe
05/19 Munich, DE @ Strom

“Working For The Knife” is out now via Dead Oceans.