Tim Heidecker, Neil Hamburger

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Chantal Anderson

Tim Heidecker sitting outside.

Tim Heidecker

Along with his work in the comedic world (often with compatriot Eric Wareham) and films (a notably dark turn in Jordan Peele’s Us), Tim Heidecker has also been making music. While at times Heidecker’s music has run parallel to his comedy work, recent projects have delved into more serious topics. The songs on the 2024 album Slipping Away land as kinda funny and kinda not, a dynamic that serves well the matter-of-fact tales of everyday life. With Neil Hamburger (aka Gregg Turkington, Heidecker’s foil in the long-running web series On Cinema).

media release: Songwriter and comedian Tim Heidecker unveiled his latest single & video, “Dad of the Year,” from his upcoming album Slipping Away, out October 18 via Bloodshot Records, and announced a 2025 North American headline tour. A massively catchy tune, “Dad of the Year” sees Heidecker observe shifting trends in culture and his own changing ambitions, weighing his childhood expectations against the reality he faces as a father approaching 50. “The only award that I’m gonna see is from my family,” he sings, “and that should be enough for me.” He sounds happy with what he has, but anyone paying attention will know that Heidecker always has his eyes on the next horizon.

The playful video features Tim commiserating with his actual father (yes, the same guy from the Abso Lutely Productions closing logo featured at the end of all of Tim & Eric’s television creations) about the realities, both rewarding and disappointing, of fatherhood. Speaking of family, Heidecker’s young daughter is the star photographer behind the new press shot up top. Talk about “Dad of the Year” material!  

Following 2020’s Fear of Death and 2022’s High School, Slipping Away offers an imagistic framework that allows for some of his brightest melodies, heaviest themes, and most direct and vulnerable lyrics, creating his warmest and fullest record to date. And while Heidecker’s work in film and television is often an act of complex, surrealist worldbuilding, the expertly crafted singer-songwriter material Heidecker releases under his own name is increasingly tender, all while dealing with crises of confidence and community.

Working with The Very Good Band — Eliana Athayde on bass, vocals and additional production; Josh Adams on drums; Vic Berger on keys; and Connor “Catfish” Gallaher on guitar and pedal steel; alongside a contribution from Tim’s daughter Amelia, Heidecker refers to the album as a true group project. “My favorite records are the ones that were just recorded in a room with a band playing,” he says. “And that’s what we did.” If he were to perform them solo acoustic, they might sound like folk songs, with their instantly hummable melodies, singalong choruses, and unexpected ability to zoom out far beyond their initial premises.