Father John Misty

The origin story of Josh Tillman’s emergence as Father John Misty is the stuff of legend. After releasing eight albums as J. Tillman in the 2000s and playing drums for Fleet Foxes for four years, he moved to L.A., inked a deal with Sub Pop, and immediately had a 180-degree career pivot. Growing tired of the heartbreaking acoustic numbers he put out as J. Tillman, he decided to up the fun factor for Father John Misty releases. After a fateful coastal road trip fueled by psilocybin mushrooms, the sound of his debut album, 2012’s Fear Fun, came into sharp focus. He further honed his sardonic jams on his sophomore effort, 2015’s I Love You, Honeybear, which found him turning a love story into a hilarious folk-rock opera, and 2018’s God’s Favorite Customer, which mocked America’s cultural decline. Father John Misty is a project where it’s not entirely clear where the persona ends and the person begins—and Josh Tillman wouldn’t have it any other way.