For several years, Morrissey has publicly complained that no record label will release his new music. Capitol was allegedly supposed to share Bonfire Of Teenagers (first announced four-and-a-half years ago) but instead Moz departed and said the label’s then-CEO was trying to “wreck” his career. In September the former Smiths frontman said no label would put out the LP due to its controversial title track, and in November he offered that free speech is “criminalized.”
Last week Morrissey announced that he finally has a distributor, the Smiths’ former US label Sire. Now he’s going into album cycle mode, except the release he’s promoting is You’re Right, It’s Time, which is a different one than Bonfire Of Teenagers.
Bonfire Of Teenagers was recorded between 2020 and 2021 with producer Andrew Watt, and was set to feature Miley Cyrus, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Flea, and Iggy Pop. Its title was inspired by the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack that happened at an Ariana Grande concert and left 22 dead. Meanwhile You’re Right, It’s Time — originally titled Without Music The World Dies — was recorded in 2023 at La Fabrique Studios in France with producer Joe Chiccarelli. Yesterday Morrissey posted the tracklist, which includes some songs he’s performed live. “The second album will be released first,” Morrissey told Teraz Rock over the summer. “It’s breathtaking from start to finish.” Track titles include “Make-Up Is A Lie” and “Lester Bangs”
Speaking of performances, he has been on a roll with show cancellations; in September he canceled an Ottawa concert over a Bluesky threat, in October he had a Turkey gig canceled due to backlash over his support for Israel, and in November he called off his South American tour citing “extreme exhaustion.” Now, it seems he’s cancelling his first-ever Dominican Republic concert, which was scheduled for Jan. 25. While it’s still listed on his tour page, and there’s been no official statement, the event was removed from both the ticketing site and the venue site earlier this week.
No timeline for Morrissey’s new LP has been announced, but he is expected to be on A$AP Rocky’s own long-delayed Don’t Be Dumb, which is now being promoted for a Jan. 16 release.
