In late 2019, on the day she released her memoir Horror Stories, rock legend Liz Phair shared a new single called “Good Side.” It was her first new song in five years and first non-holiday song in nine, and it marked her first collaboration in two decades with Brad Wood, the producer who worked on her run of classic ’90s albums. In an interview with Stereogum that day, Phair said “Good Side” was from Soberish, a new album coming in 2020. Last year didn’t go according to plan for anyone, and that includes Phair, who has not yet released the promised album. With the release of another new track today, however, Phair promises that Soberish will be out in 2021.

Today’s new single, also produced by Wood, is a tribute to cool-music power couple Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. Titled “Hey Lou,” it’s sung from Anderson’s perspective: “What’s inside that heavy head? Are you on the junk again? Your eyes look dead, but your mouth keeps moving on and on.” The chorus boasts a classic Phair hook: “Hey Lou, are you feelin’ alright? What you wanna do? Are we stayin’ all night?” In a statement, Phair elaborates, “Have you ever wondered what love looks like for your favorite celebrity couple behind closed doors? ‘Hey Lou’ imagines a day in the life of two music legends, whose union was an inspiration for rock bands and a source of curiosity for die hard romantics.”

“Hey Lou” arrives with a video featuring puppets of Reed and Anderson. It also precedes a livestream event called “Hey Lou Hey Liz” happening March 3, in which Phair will perform the two new songs and a smattering of oldies in addition to a conversation with Wood about their work together. Tickets for that are available here. Phair also has outdoor tour dates with Alanis Morissette and Garbage scheduled starting in June, which may be a bit ambitious compared to the rate of COVID vaccination.

Check out the “Hey Lou” video below.

TOUR DATES:
06/11 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
06/25 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
06/27 Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
06/28 Calgary, AB @ Saddledome
06/30 Saskatoon, SK @ SaskTel Center
07/02 Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place
07/03 Minneapolis, MN @ Xcel Center
07/05 London, ON @ Budweiser Garden
07/07 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
07/10 Toronto, ON @ Bud Stage
07/11 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues Fest
07/31 Portland, OR @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
08/03 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
08/05 Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
08/06 Las Vegas, NV @ USANA Amphitheater
08/12 Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
08/13 Dallas, TX @ Dos Esquis Pavilion
08/14 Rogers, AR @ Walmart Amp
08/17 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
08/18 West Palm Beach, FL @ ITHINK Financial Amphitheater
08/20 Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheater
08/21 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
08/22 Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
08/25 Virginia Beach, CA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
08/26 Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
08/28 Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre
08/29 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Amphitheater
08/31 Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/01 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
09/03 Gilford, NJ @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
09/04 Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
09/05 Saratoga, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts
09/08 Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
09/10 Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
09/11 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino
09/12 Clarkson, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
09/15 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
09/17 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
09/18 St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre
10/18 Birmingham, England @ Utilita Arena
10/20 London, England @ The O2 Arena
10/22 Manchester, England @ AO Arena
10/25 Dubin, Ireland @ 3Arena
10/28 Hamburg, Germany @ Barclaycard Arena
10/29 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
10/31 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
11/03 Budapest, Hungary @ Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena
11/06 Warsaw, Poland @ Expo XXI
11/08 Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Forum
11/10 Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
11/11 Madrid, Spain @ WiZink Center
11/13 Paris, France @ Acoor Arena