The third single from Mol Sullivan’s eponymously titled album Goose is out today. As a single and also as the spiritual familiar for this album, the goose looms large. Sullivan asks, “am I a swan or just a goose / I’d bet the latter, grab my purse / it’s not so difficult a choice / between a joker and a fool / without giving them a voice / do you want an ocean or a pool?”. In some of the choicest chamber pop experimentation, ‘Goose’ expands on the cygnet myth, offering empathy for anyone who feels like they’ve contained multitudes who treat the open mic like a grab-the-mic singalong at a hardcore show.

After 15 years Mol’s work has culminated in Goose – an album brimming with sophisticated pop arrangements and statements of clear-eyed emotional survival. Sobriety, fractured relationships, and compassionate introspection loom large on this record that brings together Todd Rundgren style pop craftsmanship with the sweeping intimacy of Bill Callahan – both of which share a knack for turning phrases into devastating and devastatingly funny lines.