Chappell Roan Drops Moody Single “The Subway” Ahead of Intimate Fall Tour
Hi, I’m Avery Sinclair, your resident skeptic armed with caffeine and a low tolerance for fluff. Another day, another “groundbreaking” single to break our hearts or something. Let’s dive in.
On July 31, Chappell Roan released “The Subway,” the second preview from her enigmatic second album that still has no title or release date attached. She first teased the four-minute track at Governors Ball 2024, painted head-to-toe in green and dressed like Lady Liberty’s cooler cousin. If you missed that spectacle, at least you can catch the studio version now streaming everywhere.
The lyricism trades club-ready confetti for a slow-burn crush narrative. Lines like “Somebody wore your perfume/it almost killed me/I had to leave the room” slice through pop gloss and land straight in the gut. Roan’s knack for vivid details—“green hair and a beauty mark next to your mouth”—feels like a text message you shouldn’t read but can’t resist opening.
Production credit goes to Dan Nigro, whose polished but intimate approach recalls ’80s and early ’90s alt-pop icons such as ’Til Tuesday, 10,000 Maniacs, Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, and Joan Osborne. It’s not exactly “Pink Pony Club” energy; this is more of a downcast anthem, the perfect soundtrack for late-night subway rides or existential dread in your apartment.
If you prefer live drama over streaming, Roan is staging an eight-show, three-city pop-up series titled “Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things” this September and October. Missouri’s proud export will headline four consecutive nights at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium on September 20, 21, 23, and 24. The rest of the lineup packs in two other major markets before she vanishes to write the next album.
In a gesture that might actually warm the cynic’s heart, Roan announced on Instagram that she’ll donate $1 per ticket sold to organizations supporting trans youth in each city. Tickets go on sale in early August via Vivid Seats, the secondary marketplace that promises a 100% buyer guarantee. Of course, prices may vary depending on demand, so set your alerts and your budget.
Before hitting her own headline dates, Roan is scheduled for two UK festivals this summer. The last time she gate-crashed a stage was on June 7 in Barcelona, where fans tracked an 17-song set on Set List FM. Highlights included new cuts like “After Midnight,” deep dives such as “Barracuda” (a Heart cover), and a cheeky moment calling out exes who “couldn’t get the job done.”
Accompanying the single, Roan dropped a cinematic music video directed by Amber Grace Johnson. It opens with a red wig swirling through New York sidewalks and alternates between giant red and green wigs in a dreamlike MTA station. This isn’t your grandma’s band-shot-on-a-train concept—it’s a full-on Big Apple fever dream.
And there it is – your daily dose of pop music news served with a side of cynicism. You can turn off your notifications now.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Instagram, Set List FM, Vivid Seats
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
