Joe Newman steps out from alt-J with solo project JJerome87
'The Canyon' was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Carlos de la Garza.
alt-J frontman Joe Newman has detailed his first solo record under the moniker JJerome87. 'The Canyon' will arrive on 26th June through Mushroom Music / Virgin Music Group, produced by Carlos de la Garza in Los Angeles with a cast of session musicians and a trio of female backing vocalists.
A fresh single called 'Track and Field' accompanies the announcement, following earlier release 'Brush Me Like A Horse'. The genesis of the project traces back to the period after alt-J's 2022 album 'The Dream', when Newman found himself unable to stop writing.
Speaking about the album's origins, Newman said: "Traditionally after finishing an album, I'm creatively a bit depleted so I'll take a break. But after [2022's] 'The Dream' I didn't stop writing, and I started formulating a lot of ideas that were very personal: things I was experiencing as a first time dad, and the core memories of my partner giving birth. I was beginning to realise this might be a good time for me to take a leap of faith and write something outside the circle of alt-J."
His daughter, born in 2021, can be spotted in the album artwork by artist Sally Dunne, peering over Newman's shoulder. The cover is packed with visual Easter eggs from the recording period: a white house near the studio where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck penned the Good Will Hunting script, coyotes spotted during an early morning drive, and a reference to Echo Park's Canyon Coffee — the regular stop that lent the album its name.
Discussing the new single, Newman said: "I wrote Track and Field quickly. I see this song as an early '90s American montage that focuses on two college kids falling for each other on a college athletics track. The name 'Lamorna' I chose to honour my friend's dog, who ran off a cliff. Other notable bits of trivia include nods to Gerry Rafferty's Right Down The Line; the first song on a long list of songs I wish I had written and the triple-take line at the start of the song was inspired by Patrick Stewart's 2013 viral video in which he performs the quadruple take. Track and Field is a song to sing along to in a car going somewhere nice… a beach, or through a tunnel in a helicopter, Mission Impossible style. Enjoy."
Speaking about the accompanying video, he added: "My video for 'Track and Field' is a time capsule that spans many decades from the last century. I wanted to explore the athletics track, more specifically women training and competing. The song itself celebrates the collegiate athlete, and so the main aesthetic focus for this video was athletics within high school and higher education. No better lens than a montage of grainy archival footage to synergise the nostalgic nods that the song 'Track and Field' honours. Bon-apple-tea. Breathtakingly high volumes of quick smiles and good wishes in these strange times."
A fresh single called 'Track and Field' accompanies the announcement, following earlier release 'Brush Me Like A Horse'. The genesis of the project traces back to the period after alt-J's 2022 album 'The Dream', when Newman found himself unable to stop writing.
Speaking about the album's origins, Newman said: "Traditionally after finishing an album, I'm creatively a bit depleted so I'll take a break. But after [2022's] 'The Dream' I didn't stop writing, and I started formulating a lot of ideas that were very personal: things I was experiencing as a first time dad, and the core memories of my partner giving birth. I was beginning to realise this might be a good time for me to take a leap of faith and write something outside the circle of alt-J."
His daughter, born in 2021, can be spotted in the album artwork by artist Sally Dunne, peering over Newman's shoulder. The cover is packed with visual Easter eggs from the recording period: a white house near the studio where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck penned the Good Will Hunting script, coyotes spotted during an early morning drive, and a reference to Echo Park's Canyon Coffee — the regular stop that lent the album its name.
Discussing the new single, Newman said: "I wrote Track and Field quickly. I see this song as an early '90s American montage that focuses on two college kids falling for each other on a college athletics track. The name 'Lamorna' I chose to honour my friend's dog, who ran off a cliff. Other notable bits of trivia include nods to Gerry Rafferty's Right Down The Line; the first song on a long list of songs I wish I had written and the triple-take line at the start of the song was inspired by Patrick Stewart's 2013 viral video in which he performs the quadruple take. Track and Field is a song to sing along to in a car going somewhere nice… a beach, or through a tunnel in a helicopter, Mission Impossible style. Enjoy."
Speaking about the accompanying video, he added: "My video for 'Track and Field' is a time capsule that spans many decades from the last century. I wanted to explore the athletics track, more specifically women training and competing. The song itself celebrates the collegiate athlete, and so the main aesthetic focus for this video was athletics within high school and higher education. No better lens than a montage of grainy archival footage to synergise the nostalgic nods that the song 'Track and Field' honours. Bon-apple-tea. Breathtakingly high volumes of quick smiles and good wishes in these strange times."
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