John Oates Fights That ‘Disconnected’ Feeling on New Song

John Oates tackles the pandemic blues on his new song “Disconnected,” the latest single from the Rock Hall-inducted musician.

“‘Disconnected’ was an idea that I had in my digital archives that I rediscovered during the pandemic…the theme felt even more timely and I produced a reimagined version at home using Garage Band on my Mac,” Oates said of the track in a statement.

“There are always times in our lives when we all feel ‘Disconnected’ from some thing or someone …emotionally, physically, spiritually, or any of the above…but the important thing is to never give up hope and strive to find a way to pull it all back together.”

For the “Disconnected” video, Oates found inspiration from, of all places, Taylor Swift. “I was visually inspired by Taylor Swift using multiple versions of herself in a video,” Oates said of the visual, which features him fronting a band of Oateses. “It’s kind of a low-rent version of what she did, me playing everything.”

“Disconnected” follows the Movember ambassador’s 2022 single  “Pushin’ a Rock,” which was the first of six new songs scheduled for release monthly in a new deal with distribution company the Orchard.

While Oates continues to drop new music, it’s been 20 years since Hall & Oates released an album of originals. Asked about the future of the duo in 2022, Oates told Rolling Stone, “My opinion is that Hall & Oates’ future is in its past. The catalog of music that we created is evergreen, and some of it will go on forever. Some of it will remain obscure, unfortunately, due to the massive success of a few songs, which is a shame, really. I’m not interested in trying to recapture old glory. It was a moment in time. We’ve been together for over 50 years. I think 50 years is long enough to do almost anything. I don’t take it for granted at all, but if it ends, I’d be a satisfied person.”