Tim Heidecker is back with “Punch in the Gut,” a new single from his forthcoming album, High School. Listen to the twangy track below.
High School unsurprisingly chronicles the trials and tribulations of adolescence, and “Punch in the Gut” takes us back to the type of schoolyard fight scene you’d see in a network sitcom — with an unfortunate twist. “This one started while thinking about how Warren Zevon might approach a high school parking lot, high noon style showdown,” Heidecker explained in a statement. “But as I worked it, I recalled an incident where a friend of mine was visiting my school and was falsely accused of stealing. He was Black and it felt like profiling to me.”
Heidecker describes the incident over chiming, back-and-forth guitars, singing about his friend’s doomed fate with a classically resigned, country drawl. “They gave him no choice/ They gave him no choice/ They backed him in/ Till he backed them down to the ground,” he croons.
“Punch in the Gut” is the second single from High School, which arrives June 24th via Spacebomb Records. Pre-orders for the record are ongoing. Heidecker previously announced the album with the single “Buddy.” Before that, he shared the standalone single “Dark Days,” and starred in the music video for Kevin Morby’s “Rock Bottom.”
This summer, the comedian-musician will embark on a tour dubbed “Tim Heidecker Live! Featuring Tim Heidecker and The Very Good Band,” which sees the artist first perform a standup show before playing music from his catalog with drummer Josh Adams, bassist Eliana Athayde, and guitarist/pedal steel player Catfish Connor. Tickets to those shows are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
