alt-J's Joe Newman drops debut solo album, The Canyon

The announcement follows alt-J celebrating one billion streams on their 2012 single "Breezeblocks", from their first album An Awesome Wave.

It's been three years since the English trio released their fourth album, The Dream. Last year, Joe Newman told NME that the group would be taking a break following an extensive tour schedule in support of the record.

However, Newman also revealed plans for his debut, explaining that he'd spent time in LA with producer Carlo de La Garza to work on his solo project. "When I was younger, I was a big fan of soul music. The musical direction of this new album is Americana, Motown, soul, but then it does inevitably have that kind of odd alt-J quirkiness; a doom-laden sound to it," he teased.

In an Instagram post, Newman revealed to fans that The Canyon would be available for purchase on his website, with single track "Brush Me Like A Horse" available for free download to those who sign up to his mailing list. The full post reads:

"Hi everyone,

My album; The Canyon, is only available to purchase on my website as a download. To begin, I’m reaching out first to you guys, your continued support means I can write and develop my craft without the looming terror of needing to get a real job. The Canyon is my next creative leap forward. This album embodies the change in my life; becoming a father, working outside of alt-J, new producer, LA and the world of amazing session musicians, Enjoy.

If you’d like to listen to ‘Brush Me Like A Horse’ and download the audio for free, you can do that by signing up to my mailing list on the website below. That’s also where you’ll find the digital download of my album, ‘The Canyon’, which is available to buy exclusively through the website - jjerome87.com

Lots of love,

Joe"

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