Can Feist make a comeback?
Four years after her infectious song "1,2,3,4" got stuck in America's collective head, the singer-songwriter returns with a somber new single

The audio: Singer-songwriter Feist offered up the musical equivalent of a breath of fresh air when her catchy earworm "1,2,3,4" debuted in 2007. The Grammy-nominated song went viral after it was featured in a commercial for the iPod Nano and adapted as a learning tool on Sesame Street. Stripped-down and unassuming, "1,2,3,4" was heralded as the antithesis to the overproduced pop hits of Rihanna, Fergie, and other pop divas. Yet following that breakout hit, Feist has been largely dormant... until now. The Canadian songstress' upcoming album Metals will be released October 4, and she just premiered its first single, "How Come You Never Go There." (Listen below.)
The reaction: "It ain't exactly a party-starter," says Jody Rosen at Rolling Stone, but the "bruising ballad" still manages to be riveting. Agreed, says James Montgomery at MTV. Even if this new song lacks the "pastel-colored sonics" of her bouncy hit "1,2,3,4," its "staggering guitars" and "smoking vocal harmonies" should please fans nonetheless. This "sultry piano ballad" only drums up anticipation for Metals' October release . Not quite, says Reed Fischer at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times. This tedious, anticlimactic song "sounds like music you'd put on after the last round of Scattergories is finished." The slow, quiet "How Come You Never Go There" is more likely to find success as "a moody promotion for a luxury car or perhaps Lindor Truffles" than a radio hit. Judge for yourself:
How Come You Never Go There by Feist
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
Time's up: The Democratic gerontocracy
Feature The Democratic party is losing key seats as they refuse to retire aging leaders