Parquet Courts frontman A. Savage has announced his signing to Rough Trade Records and released a new single, “Thanksgiving Prayer,” which is produced by John Parish and comes with a video directed by Tiff Pritchett. It’s Savage’s first solo track since 2017’s Thawing Dawn LP and features contributions from backing band Euan Hinshelwood (saxophone), Magdalena McLean (violin), Jack Cooper (guitar), and Dylan Hadley (drums).

Here’s what Savage had to say about “Thanksgiving Prayer”:

Well, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and every year on that day I write down some words having to do with gratitude. Some years are better than others, but the last one I celebrated these words just sort of came out of me. It was a pretty special holiday actually, because in fact we were recording this song, but I made everybody take a day off. [Producer] John Parish and his wife Michelle were kind enough to allow me to take over their kitchen to cook the meal for everyone. Dylan [Hadley, drums] and I were the only Americans, so there was a bit of explaining to do. So it was the band, the studio staff and the Parish family, and it was an absolutely lovely day. I was in awe of the kindness and mercy, and that’s what the song is about; being in awe of humans. When I got back to my room I was on such a high so I started writing and this song is what was on the page the next morning, when we recorded it.

“The video is directed by a brilliant young director Tiff Pritchett, and she had this idea to sort of do a silent film tribute,” Savage adds of the video. “The scene from Renoir’s film Rules of the Game where Danse Macabre is played was referenced, as was Klaus Nomi.”

Watch and listen to “Thanksgiving Prayer.”

TOUR DATES:
09/30 – Newport, Essex, UK @ Murmuration Festival
10/20 – Portland, ME @ SPACE
10/21 – Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
10/22 – Portsmouth, NH @ Press Room
10/24 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/25 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Eccentric Cafe
10/27 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
10/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo
10/30 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
11/01 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
11/02 – Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger
11/03 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man
11/04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11/05 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
11/07 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
11/09 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian
11/11 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom