Set in a cinematic world of fantastical vignettes and a humanity that is both profound and understated, somewhere between dusty Americana with Motown influences and a British spirit steeped in curiosity, The Canyon unfolds. This debut solo album by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Newman, frontman of the critically acclaimed band alt-J and winner of the Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Awards, is released under his pseudonym JJerome87.

Set for release on June 26 via Mushroom Mushroom Music / Virgin Music Group, the album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Carlos de la Garza, surrounded by some of the city’s top studio musicians, as well as a trio of female backing vocalists.

With alt-J—which, across four albums, has dominated the UK charts, reached the Top 5 on the Billboard charts, garnered numerous Grammy and Brit Award nominations, and amassed billions of streams—Joe Newman has established himself as one of the major artists of the past decade, on both sides of the Atlantic. While alt-J’s unique chemistry stems from the unlikely convergence of three distinct worlds, this solo project marks a new phase: one in which Newman reveals more personal facets of his artistic identity, drawing on his childhood influences as well as the most formative experiences of his recent life.

“Usually, after finishing an album, I feel a certain creative void and take a break. But after *The Dream* (2022), I didn’t stop writing. Very personal ideas emerged, linked to my experience as a new father, as well as to the intense memories of my partner’s childbirth,” he explains. “I began to realize that maybe it was time to take a leap of faith and create outside the framework of alt-J.”

Newman’s daughter, born in 2021, also appears on the cover of The Canyon, designed by artist Sally Dunne. The image is rich in detail and references: notably, it features the white house where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote the screenplay for Good Will Hunting, located near the recording studio. It also features the coyotes that Newman used to encounter on his dawn drives. As for the album title, it echoes one of their favorite spots during the recording sessions: the famous Canyon Coffee in Echo Park.

Through The Canyon, Newman weaves stories that are both strange and sublime, transforming ordinary moments into memorable cinematic scenes. The album unfolds like a collection of musical short stories—a series of striking snapshots where reality and fiction intertwine. An intimate and daring project, marking a songwriter’s entry into a new chapter of his life, accompanied by his daughter, while the coyotes of Echo Park seem to watch over the soundscape he has crafted.