After years of legal limbo and label drama that felt like a never-ending saga, Morrissey finally dropped Makeup is a Lie just last week, and it feels like a genuine event. This is his 14th solo outing and it marks a pretty poetic return to Sire Records – the very label that helped launch The Smiths decades ago. Recorded in the South of France with Joe Chiccarelli, the album has this sun-drenched but sharp energy to it. It doesn’t sound like a man resting on his laurels; instead, it’s a vibrant, sometimes abrasive, and deeply melodic collection that proves he still has plenty to say, for better or worse.

The sound is a bit of a kaleidoscope – shifting from moody post-punk jangle to surprising soul-disco flourishes and even some grand, theatrical chanson. His voice is remarkably well-preserved, sounding velvety and rich as he navigates themes of defiance, loneliness, and his usual droll social commentary. The title track, “Make-Up Is a Lie,” is an immediate earworm with its hypnotic, repetitive groove, while “Notre-Dame” has already sparked a ton of conversation for its controversial take on the famous cathedral fire. There is also a really cool, grandiose cover of Roxy Music’s “Amazona” that fits his style perfectly.

What makes this record so worth revisiting – even just days after its release – is how it balances the “classic Moz” tropes with some genuinely weird and experimental moments. Songs like “Lester Bangs” show he’s still thinking about the critics, while the bizarre “Zoom Zoom the Little Boy” is just purely eccentric in a way only he can pull off. It’s an album that demands a few listens to really untangle the production layers. It’s exciting to see a veteran artist still willing to be this provocative and musically restless so far into his career.