TISM Release First New Single In 20 Years 'I've Gone Hillsong'

Australia’s most eclectic and unpredictable group, TISM, are back with their first release in 20 years, I’ve Gone Hillsong.

Unsurprisingly, the track is an instant earworm, with the boppy beat and nonsensical lyrics sure to delight their army of fans who have been awaiting the return of the enigmatic seven-person band.

The single is released in conjunction with the exciting news that TISM will be performing three East Coast mainland shows in early 2024. Dates and venues have yet to be released, but fans can sign up here for tour news. 

The music video accompanying the release was filmed at Good Things Festival 2022.

The Music described their Good Things set as “a madcap hour of TISM's greatest hits; all eagerly gobbled down by the audience”.

“They're best on ground so far and just as hilarious and searing as they were all those years ago.”

Back in January, the iconic silver, shiny "sock" costume worn by an anonymous member of TISM alongside a GREG! The Stop Sign!! prop were added to Australian Music Vault as part of its Strength In Sound exhibition.

Few groups are as hard to place as TISM, especially as the group is anonymous. Their music has been described as both profane and profound, highbrow and lowbrow - and the ultimate cult act for those loving music on the fringe of pop.

TISM fans were surprised to see the group stop making music in 2004 without announcement, only to pick up where they left off in 2022, 18 years later. The group put this down to being split up in 1983 (the same year they started), and each subsequent show has been a reunion of sorts - a hilarious gimmick that they have kept up for decades.

TISM’s playful music, sarcastic delivery, strange media appearances, and the overall chaos of the group have made them a group to watch with their carefully chosen projects highly anticipated by wide-reaching fans.

They developed and enjoyed a large following throughout the 1980s and 1990s, issuing a number of singles, albums, videos, and a book (The TISM Guide to Little Aesthetics).

Backed by the successful singles (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River and Greg! The Stop Sign!!, their third album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995, won Best Independent Release at that year's ARIA Music Awards, and was certified Gold in January 1996.