JP Saxe Announces Two Part Album With Part One, Articulate Express, Dropping Next Month

by | Mar 16, 2025

Multi-platinum master storyteller JP Saxe has announced a forthcoming two-part album, with part one, Articulate Excuses, due out on 18th April on Arista Records. The announcement comes alongside the release of the relatable meditation on our modern condition and viscerally vulnerable statement, SMARTPHONE MAKE ME DUMB and its accompanying lyric video.

JP Saxe @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

JP Saxe @ Shepherd's Bush Empire (Kalpesh Patel)
JP Saxe @ Shepherd's Bush Empire (Kalpesh Patel)

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 the 31-year-old Toronto-hailing musician. “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, he 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.

John Mayer @ The O2 Arena

John Mayer @ The O2 Arena (Kalpesh Patel)
John Mayer @ The O2 Arena (Kalpesh Patel)

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. By openly exploring his deepest anxieties and emotions, Saxe shared what was then his most relatable set of songs to date.

JP Saxe @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

JP Saxe
JP Saxe

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.

Avalanche Party Bring Their ‘Dream…’ Post-Punk Show To Portsmouth

Alice Cooper @ The O2 (Louise Phillips)

School’s Out But The Priest Are In Session! Alice Cooper And Judas Priest Live At The O2 Arena

On a Friday night in the Capital, two icons of rock Alice Cooper and Judas Priest put on a masterful display how to...

Darkness With Depth: The Nocturnal Affair’s Brendan Shane On Ghosts, Growth & Gothic Grit

“I met strangers who offered me candy… and I got into their van.” Brendan Shane isn’t your average frontman. We’re...
Pistol Daisys (Matthew Pearson)

Pistol Daisys Embrace The Sweet & Sinister On New Single ‘Honey’ Ahead Of Debut EP And European Tour

Rising Glasgow-based trio Pistol Daisys have returned with their most seductive and sonically ambitious release yet,...
The Sons Of Guns (Cléa Margaret)

The Sons Of Guns Return With Summery New Single ‘I Got It Right’ – A Retro-Tinted Celebration Of Love

Following the success of their debut EP You Shine The Sun, genre-blending five-piece The Sons Of Guns are back with I Got It Right, a radiant new single soaked in sunny ‘70s charm and lyrical optimism. It’s the first taste of new music since the EP’s release, which saw the band earn praise from the likes of BBC Radio London’s Gary Crowley and Eagles Of Death Metal frontmanJesse Hughes, not to mention a career highlight performance at industry showcase Musexpo.

Will Linley (Press)

Will Linley Announces Debut Album ‘Don’t Cry Because It’s Over’ With Reflective New Single ‘First Love’

22-year-old South African alt-pop artist Will Linley has announced the release of his hotly anticipated debut album...
Fatboy Slim @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Latitude Festival 2025 Day Two: Fatboy Slim Flares, Clean Bandit Soar & Leon Bridges Smoulders In The Suffolk Twilight

After Friday’s bask in Suffolk sunshine, Saturday arrived with a greyer palette. The weather quickly turned moody,...
Snooper (Blaire Beamer)

Snooper Announce Bold New Album ‘Worldwide’ And Share Genre-Blending Title Track

Nashville’s chaotic punk experimentalists Snooper have announced their second album Worldwide, due for release on 3rd October via Third Man Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have unveiled its lead single and title track — a dizzying, genre-warping evolution of their no-holds-barred sound that signals a bold new era.

Wednesday 13 @ The Asylum, Birmingham (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Middle Fingers And Murderdolls: Wednesday 13 Haunt The Asylum

On a humid July evening in Birmingham, a city still reeling from the recent loss of its heavy metal godfather Ozzy...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing