Multi-platinum master storyteller JP Saxe has announced a forthcoming two-part album, with part one, Articulate Excuses, due out April 18 on Arista Records. The announcement comes alongside the release of the relatable meditation on our modern condition and viscerally vulnerable, “SMARTPHONE MAKE ME DUMB” and its accompanying lyric video.
The two-part album traces the GRAMMY®-nominated singer-songwriter’s journey through a series of personal revelations. After writing and recording the album and feeling like there were two distinct themes to the songs, Saxe decided to present the album in two parts – he describes the decision as “90% for creative reasons and 10% because of the pragmatism of navigating people’s increasingly nonexistent attention spans. I love my music so much and even l have trouble listening to 14 in a row. So how could I expect someone else to?” Each part has a unique sonic and thematic identity that gives one message when listened to on its own or as a complete project.”
“SMARTPHONE MAKE ME DUMB” fits squarely into Articulate Excuses, which pulls from a period in which Saxe worked to come to terms with his patterns and personhood thus far. The track opens on pretty piano and a tension-building tone as Saxe sings searchingly about a familiar brand of existential dread: “I can’t get out of bed, there’s nothing good I can imagine / It’s scary in my head, I’m not ready for these interactions / I’ll do anything for a distraction.” While most of the song lives in a pensive place, Saxe is joined by a soulful chorus of voices for the heartbreaking hook: “Don’t leave me alone with my thoughts.”
“Consciousness is exhausting,” says Saxe. “Staring at hot strangers and whales and hydraulic smushed crayons for 5 seconds at a time on your phone is way easier. So is poison-induced vulnerability (alcohol) and disconnection masked as connection (flippant sex). Sure, maybe our brains are slowly rotting, but at least we’re not burdened by the stress of aliveness.”
In January, Saxe shared the first taste of the part one, “SAFE,” a sweetly moody R&B-kissed pop track co-written and produced by Malay (Frank Ocean, FLETCHER, Lorde) that put his signature mix of reflection and wit on full display — watch the video HERE. That was, in fact, Saxe’s first new solo song since he hit the road in late 2023 in support of John Mayer’s arena tour, and then kept going deep into 2024 on his own sold-out, globe-spanning, headlining run.
Saxe’s last new release was 2023’s A Gray Area album, which was largely produced by Malay and included the grooving, Mayer-featuring “I Don’t Miss You,” plus collaborations with the likes of five-time Latin-GRAMMY®-winning Colombian musician Camilo, folk-pop trio Tiny Habits, and singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine. The LP garnered praise from Billboard, People, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and more. By openly exploring his deepest anxieties and emotions, Saxe shared what was then his most relatable set of songs to date.
Last year, after canvassing North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia on his A Grey Area World Tour, Saxe shared a pair of performance albums: A Grey Area (Live Sessions) — featuring acclaimed guest instrumentalists like Cory Henry and Tal Wilkenfeld — and Live on Stage, recordings from his recent tours that included a moving solo version of his late 2019 blockbuster, “If the World Was Ending.” Saxe has already proven himself to be a master of off-the-cuff intimacy, but with his forthcoming EPs, it’s clear that he’s bringing us in even closer.
Articulate Excuses Tracklist
1. “SMARTPHONE MAKE ME DUMB”
2. “I WANNA MOVE TO BROOKLYN”
3. “SAFE”
4. “BADDIE WITH A VAPE ADDICTION”
5. “SOFT ASS BITCH”
6. “OKAY ANYWAY”
7. “LET A GINGER MAKE YOU CRY”
8. “(grandpa’s interlude)”
