Today, Morrissey, former singer-songwriter of The Smiths and prolific solo artist, announced that he would finally be releasing new music. He admits that he had difficulty securing a label that would produce his records, but now he returns to Sire/Warner Records to release Make-Up Is A Lie on March 6. It's his first official studio release in six years.

Morrissey has also shared the titular track from the record, accompanied by a visualizer. Watch/listen to it below:

"The wait has sometimes felt like a tragedy, but the release today of "Make-up is a Lie" is like a reunion of lovers," Morrissey wrote on his blog. "And after several plays it seems to have existed always. We can now place our faith in what is visible." He continued:

"Many of us, here, and in France, Turkey, Poland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, America, England … we have waited because our belief is unchallengeable: let the squawkers squawk. What survives beyond their grasp is love. I insist on being myself in spite of much discouragement, and this new music is a valid portrait of much more to come in 2026. Born, then born, and born again. I am your lover-to-be, MORRISSEY."

The record was produced by frequent collaborator Joe Chiccarelli (The Strokes, The White Stripes, Weezer, My Morning Jacket). Keyboardist Camila Grey is credited as co-writer for "Make-Up Is A Lie".

The UK artist-turned-industry misanthrope struggled to put out albums in recent years, after the 2020 release of his thirteenth album I Am Not A Dog On A Chain [BMG] got caught in the even bigger press cycle surrounding his ongoing promotion of For Britain, a far-right political party, per NME.

But don't worry, even if his bigoted comments about non-white MPs have been well-documented, his 2018 blog post endorsing a racist and Islamophobic movement says he's not a racist (and/or fascist)!

Since then, Morrissey hasn't been able to be the toruing, studio-recording artist he once was. In 2024, he accused labels of censorship, refusing to release his unreleased 2021 album Bonfire Of Teenagers. "Nobody will release my music anymore...because I'm a chief exponent of free speech," he said at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ, according to the Asbury Park Press. "In England at least, it's now criminalized. You cannot speak freely in England. If you don't believe me, go there. Express an opinion, you'll be sent to prison. It's very, very difficult."

Another album, You're Right, It's Time is also still unreleased, according to Pitchfork.

Morrissey is also somehow still on tour, even if dates keep getting canceled (for numerous reasons, not just venues finding out about his political beliefs). Mr. 70% — the percentage of derailed gigs in the artist's history calculated by Consequence last week, by the way — announced a new batch of tour dates in the UK, Europe, and the US last month. Tickets are available now; just be sure to check the refund and cancellation policy.

Make-Up Is A Lie is out March 6. Pre-order here. Official tracklist:

1. You’re Right, It’s Time
2. Make-Up Is a Lie
3. Notre-Dame
4. Amazona
5. Headache
6. Boulevard
7. Zoom Zoom the Little Boy
8. The Night Pop Dropped
9. Kerching Kerching
10. Lester Bangs
11. Many Icebergs Ago
12. The Monsters of Pig Alley

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