It's been a busy few years for old Morrissey. He's had his first volume of memoirs published as a Penguin Classic, upsetting guardians of culture across the broadsheet world. He's also set a few noses out of joint telling journalists that he sees "no difference between eating animals and paedophilia", a view far less palatable than the unholy stench of murder. More recently, he's flattered his ego by going on a major tour of the US with support acts in tow, including such low-key names as Sirs Cliff Richard and Tom Jones. 

But what you won't have read much about in the last five years are Morrissey's songs! He hasn't had a new record out since 'Years of Refusal' in 2009, which brought to a close a triumvirate of successful albums along with You are the Quarry and Ringleader of the Tormentors. So when it was announced, earlier this year, that Morrissey had settled into a small recording studio in the south of France, to put together material for the forthcoming World Peace is None of Your Business, the sensitive and sulky souls of the internet duly took to their blogs in eager anticipation.

'World Peace is None of Your Business' is both the title track and lead single from his as yet unreleased album, and it only partially answers questions concerning whether or not Moz has 'lost it'. Perhaps inevitably, its immediate effect is a little underwhelming. Where the first single taken from Years of Refusal was the explosive, savage critique of prescription medicines, 'World Peace is None of Your Business' has the feel of an album track; plodding, unhurried, and uncomplicated in both style and structure. Understated drums and ambient noise (a didgeridoo?) precede Moz's arrival, though when he does make his first appearance he dives headlong into the lead lyric: 'World peace is none of your business / You must not tamper with arrangements'. This line encapsulates the theme of the song, which is an irony-heavy attack on political apathy. Morrissey targets at once the submissive 'fools' who perpetuate their own passivity through the action of voting, and the oppressive (though otherwise undefined) 'governments' themselves. The track's topical context is revealed in its closing lines – 'Brazil, Bahrain / Egypt, Ukraine / So many people in pain' – though that somewhat banal statement really is the extent of its meaning. Morrissey's theme, then, is broadly unsophisticated and unhelpfully general, but, in his defence, political rigour was never his strong point.  

Rather, Morrissey here, as elsewhere, sees himself as a professional provocateur. It’s his job to bring into the public and popular arena some private and unpopular views. I wouldn't always call them 'his' views, either. At worst, Moz is the anti-Clarkson – overly fond of making shocking and insubstantial statements for their own sake, without stopping to ask himself if he subscribes to the views he expresses. Ultimately, he seems interested in the effects that witty lyricism and rock star swagger can have on the public mind. All the while, he leans so far to the left that he frequently falls full circle into the stagnation of far-right conservatism. The broad-brush strokes of 'World Peace' make sense when Morrissey is guiding the brush, and lines that ask the listener to 'kindly keep your nose out' of world politics fit neatly into the canon of quotable Morrissey lyrics. However, whilst Moz's solo career never quite reached the standard of Smiths-era imagery, 'World Peace' fails even to stand out at the high end of this solo work. In four and a half short minutes Morrissey whets the appetite, but there is no single stand out line that sticks in the mind after listening, little for patient fans to grasp a hold of and make their own. His crudely Russell Brandian statement – 'each time you vote you support the process' – gains no weight through its repetition, and bluntly unpoetic lines like 'police will stun you with their stun guns' are only made to shine by the polish of Moz's own unique vocals (unchanged, for better or for worse).

All in all, there is not a huge amount to go on here. Morrissey's first single in half a decade will please his legions of fans who will no doubt see their way through an initial disappointment (new releases by old favourites so often rely on the 'emperor's new clothes' effect, where fans silently agree to ignore the obvious shortcomings of their idol). It might bring amusement, bemusement or shock to the casual Radio 1 listener – as no doubt this has become a key part of Morrissey's ongoing project as his trademark quiff has got a little more flaccid and a lot more grey. Evidently, it occupies that large space in the catalogue of his solo work of songs that are pleasing to sing along to, are not completely forgettable, but won't have you wilting like so many gladioli, or throwing the back of your hand across your forehead with despair at the plight of a forlorn bicycle. That said, Morrissey hasn't yet lost it completely, and 'World Peace is None of Your Business' certainly raises a smile. I cannot help but get excited about the forthcoming full-length album, especially with track titles like 'Neal Cassady Drops Dead' and 'Earth is the Loneliest Planet'. At least we know his humour is still intact!