John Mayer has released his new album ‘Sob Rock’ on 16 July blessing his fans after his last album in 2017. In an interview he attended on Apple Music YouTube channel, he talked about his new album and resembled it to ‘shitposts’ on the internet.
Releasing an album post-pandemic, Mayer stated that he believes that the idea of cool could be different for everyone and he explains further that this is his idea of fantasy. Using a lot of metaphors to describe his process, he stated that he intended to create something from his mind that will be interpreted differently by each individual.
Mayer resembled his process of producing this album to shitposting on the internet. Although this might sound like he said this to show that he put in no effort to his album, however as he explained, it is because he wanted to do something that he would not normally do. He explained further that the only way he would be able to do that was to call it something no one will ever call it after it’s released.
Here is what he stated about his album being a shitpost:
“What I would love other people to understand is that there is no more reason to have to adhere to any given idea of cool especially post-pandemic, which for the first time in anyone’s lives stopped the clock on the hyper-modern day trade of culture…
I made a record that, to me at the time – only in a way to coax something out of me that I wouldn’t have normally done – ‘shitpost’ a record. It’s called ‘Sob Rock’ because it’s a ‘shitpost.’ But more importantly, it’s what I thought was a ‘shitpost’ – and this gets down to where artists sit in front of you and play you what they think is their garbage.
And you go, ‘That’s the best thing I ever heard you play.’ It makes a mockery of their interpretation of the experience. Which is just enough to break out of the mold and make something unique. I never want to become someone who runs out of paint colors and begins to just make the same songs over and over again.
I’m only interested if I get to put new paints on the canvas, and my way of doing it at this time was: literally no one’s looking. This one’s called ‘Sob Rock’ because you just would never have imagined that was the name of the record. And I’m going to go so deep into my fantasy. I live, half of me is in this fantasy all the time now, especially as I’m watching the promo stuff come together.”
Criticizing the collective idea of what is cool and what is not, in his words Mayer wanted to get in trouble with his new album. Calling it a ‘shitpost’ he also lowered our expectations and when we listened to the record we thought ‘it’s not bad at all.’
You can watch the full interview below.
