Bernard Fanning may have only just released a solo album in August, but he is already back with the lead single from his forthcoming Brutal Dawn album, which is out May 26.

The song continues Fanning’s flirtation with ’70s soul music, as he explained in a press release for the new single.

“I was listening to Bobby Blue Bland’s ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’, Fanning says of the inspirational for the track, “And I loved the way the Philly strings gave it a lot more melody and power without making it beefy. When we recorded it we were deliberately trying to keep it from rocking too much so we replaced what were horns, with strings and it did the trick.

“Clare Bowditch helped on the weird minory backing vocals which helps it all sound big, without being heavy. It was a bit of an arm wrestle this song, but I love where it ended up.”

So do we. Listen to ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ below.

YouTube VideoPlay

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine