Ever since she released her 2019 album The Best Of Luck Club, the arch and shambolic Melbourne rocker Alex Lahey has been cranking out a steady stream of non-album singles. Today, she’s announced plans to release her big follow-up album The Answer Is Always Yes this spring. Lahey recorded the album with producer Jacknife Lee, who’s worked with big dogs like U2 and R.E.M. The LP features “Congratulations” and “Shit Talkin’,” two of the tracks that Lahey has released in the past few months, and it’s also got the brand-new single “Good Time.”

“Good Time” is a big, bright track about the mad and familiar rush to have any kind of fun in the rare moments when that’s even a possibility: “Everyone is a bit fucked up but they think they’re okay/ Especially when they’re out of their houses today.” Alex Lahey co-wrote the song with Jacknife Lee, and she also co-directed the song’s video with longtime collaborator Jon Danovic. The clip starts out as a story about the frustrations of the open-mic comedian, and it turns into a whole other thing. Good video!

Talking about “Good Time” in a press release, Alex Lahey says:

This song was inspired by a night out I had at the pub with my friend soon after Melbourne came out of lengthy lockdowns. We were watching all these strangers around us have this “whatever it takes” attitude towards making the most of the night (aka getting lit). It was a bit of a shock after being cooped up for so long, but also kind of invigorating.

And here’s what Lahey says about The Answer Is Always Yes:

Living in a world that wasn’t made for you makes you pretty strong and adaptive, and you find the fun in it. It also makes you realize how absurd everything is. With this record, I wanted to get weird because the world is weird, and it’s even weirder when you realize you don’t fit into it all the time.

Below, check out the “Good Time” video, the tracklist for The Answer Is Always Yes, and the dates for Lahey’s upcoming North American tour.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Good Time”
02 “Congratulations”
03 “You’ll Never Get Your Money Back”
04 “The Sky Is Melting”
05 “On The Way Down”
06 “Makes Me Sick”
07 “Shit Talkin’”
08 “Permanent”
09 “They Wouldn’t Let Me In”
10 “The Answer Is Always Yes”

TOUR DATES:
5/19 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
5/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
5/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
5/23 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
5/24 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lous
5/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
5/27 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
5/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street entry
5/31 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
6/02 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
6/03 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
6/04 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
6/06 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
6/07 – New York, NY @ Baby’s All Right
6/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
6/11 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
6/12 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
6/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Purgatory
6/15 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Upstairs
6/16 – Austin, TX @ Parish
6/17 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
6/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
6/21 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar

The Answer Is Always Yes is out 5/19 on Liberation. Pre-order it here.