Paul Weller Is Happy at Home in ‘Village’

Paul Weller released “Village” Thursday, the new single from his upcoming album On Sunset, out June 19th on Verve Forecast.

“Here I am, 10 stories high/Not a single cloud in my eye,” the former Jam frontman sings in the opening lines, against sunny, laidback instrumentation. “Not a thing I’d change if I could/I’m happy here in my neighborhood.”

“It’s a response to being told that we’ve all got to explore the Amazon and climb Everest to make our lives complete,” Weller said in a statement. “And there’s a guy who says, ‘Fuck all that, I’ve got heaven around me.’”

“Village” follows the lead single “Earth Beat,” which featured R&B artist Col3trane. Weller began working on the album — his 15th LP —  following 2018’s True Meanings. On Sunset was produced by Weller and Jan “Stan” Kybert, recorded at Black Barn Studios in Surrey, England.

On Sunset was originally slated to arrive on June 12th, but was pushed back by a mere week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Lots of albums are moving back to later in the year, but we wanted to hold firm and share with you all in time for summer,” Weller tweeted. “Hopefully ‘Village’ gets you even more excited.”

Hopefully ‘Village’ gets you even more excited ✊

— Paul Weller (@paulwellerHQ) May 7, 2020