Yesterday we proclaimed it Sturgill SZN after learning the country-rocker mailed a letter to fans teasing a new album called Mutiny After Midnight under his alias Johnny Blue Skies. Today the LP, credited to the band Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds, is officially announced. It's arriving next month only on vinyl, CD, and cassette.
The new album follows the 2024 Johnny Blue Skies release Passage Du Desir, which like Simpson's latest several projects came out on his own High Top Mountain label. Mutiny After Midnight marks a return to Atlantic, which released Simpson's acclaimed, Grammy-nominated A Sailor's Guide To Earth in 2016 and now has "new leadership and a new vision," the musician says. About the new album, "Johnny Blue Skies" shares:
This is a new and very different Atlantic Records than my last go-around. Mostly, I'm very excited and honored to be working with my dear friend Ian Cripps, and to finally bring to fruition a vision we initially shared together over ten years ago. I wrote words to what is happening in the world and my life in real time, and played with a group of musicians I deeply love and respect. Together, we made an album that is very fun and will hopefully offer some relief from darkness in the world.
"There's a simple goal we as a band set out to achieve: to make a dance record," he adds. The aforementioned letter cited the fusion band Stuff and Marvin Gaye’s album In Our Lifetime as inspiration, and it promised a tour with no opening act: “We’re going to take every minute the venue gives us.”
Mutiny, which was self-produced at Easy Eye Sound Studios, kicks off with a track called "Make America Fuk Again" featuring these lyrics:
Been learning lessons and getting bubbles busted. Learning how to turn ADHD into hyper-focus. Getting my heart broke by people I trusted. Weaponizing my autism to shit out an opus. Been coming to terms with my obsolescence. Taking ketamine to kill my depression. It beats being fogged out on anti-depressants. Wait, that reminds me, time to book another session…Maybe things have been worse but I can’t remember when. Wanna start a revolution and watch it begin.
See the tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Make America Fuk Again"
02 "Excited Delirium"
03 "Don't Let Go"
04 "Stay On That"
05 "Viridescent"
06 "Situation"
07 "Venus"
08 "Everyone Is Welcome"
09 "Ain't That A Bitch"
Mutiny After Midnight is out 3/13 via Atlantic Outpost. Pre-order it here.
