Song of the Day: Ted Leo - You're Like Me

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Morning Show with John Richards, is "You're Like Me" by Ted Leo, from the 2017 self-released album The Hanged Man, out September 8th.

Ted Leo - You're Like Me (MP3)

As we mentioned in a KEXP News Roundup back in July, beloved artist Ted Leo returns with his first new music since 2010’s Brutalist Bricks. The long-awaited album is titled The Hanged Man, named for the tarot card that symbolizes letting go in order to move forward. It is an absolutely apt description for what Leo delivers with this new release.

The Hanged Man is an absolute DIY affair: recorded in his home studio from Wakefield, RI, with Ted playing all the instruments himself, and then self-released using Kickstarter, encouraged by the company's Head of Music Molly Neuman, former co-owner of Lookout! Records, member of Bratmobile, and once Leo's manager. It is also Leo's most personal album to date: songs delve into everything from the loss of his daughter due to his wife's pregnancy complications to a sexual assault he endured as a child, the subject of today's Song of the Day. In an intimate interview with Stereogum, Leo explains why he wanted to be open about his struggles. "It just felt like it’s gonna be healthier going forward. You never know how what you’ve gone through is going to resonate with somebody else, and I know that hearing other people’s stories helped me process my own story. So I want to add my story to that body of stories."

Seattle welcomes Ted back to our town with open arms on Wednesday, November 8th at The Crocodile. In the meantime, you can keep up with him via his website and Twitter (he's a very engaging Tweeter). Since it's been a while since we've had Ted in the KEXP studios, check out this performance with The Both (his project with Aimee Mann) at our 2014 Bumbershoot Music Lounge.