JJerome87 Announces Debut Solo AlbuM, Shares New Single ‘Track and Field’
- BabyStep Magazine
- 4 hours ago
- 1 min read
Joe Newman, frontman of Mercury Prize-winning band alt-J, has announced his debut solo album under the moniker JJerome87. Titled The Canyon, the record lands June 26 via Mushroom Music / Virgin Music Group.
Alongside the announcement, Newman has shared new single ‘Track and Field’—a shimmering, nostalgic cut that blends Motown-tinged Americana with his distinctly offbeat British songwriting voice. Framed as a hazy, cinematic love story set on a college athletics track, the track leans into warmth, melody and a sense of wide-eyed romanticism.
“I see this song as an early ‘90s American montage,” Newman explains, describing a coming-of-age vignette soundtracked for long drives and sunlit escapes.
The accompanying video mirrors that vision, collaging archival-style footage of athletes in motion to create a time-warped, sentimental visual that amplifies the song’s nostalgic pull.
The Canyon was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Carlos de la Garza and a cast of top-tier session musicians, marking a clear departure from the collaborative dynamic of alt-J. Instead, the album sees Newman stepping out on his own—drawing from personal experiences, including early fatherhood, and long-held musical influences.
Across its tracklist, the record unfolds like a series of vivid, cinematic snapshots—blurring fiction and reality while transforming intimate moments into something expansive and transportive.
Best known as one-third of alt-J—one of the most successful British bands of the past decade—Newman uses JJerome87 to explore a more personal, freeform creative space. If ‘Track and Field’ is anything to go by, The Canyon promises a debut that’s both introspective and richly imagined.
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