GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter JP Saxe has released his new project, “Articulate Excuses,” via Arista Records. The first half of a bold two-part body of work gets to the heart of identity, self-reflection, and heartbreak with the lyrical clarity we expect from the multi-platinum storyteller.
Clocking in at just over 21 minutes across eight tracks, “Articulate Excuses” may be brief in time but certainly not in emotional weight. With equal parts acerbic self-awareness and real vulnerability, Saxe pulls you into a world where tenderness walks hand in hand with sarcasm. The result is a collection of songs that live like reading someone’s diary if that diary had been written by a poet willing to use profanity and a lot of truth.
The standout track, “SAFE,” is one of the project’s most emotionally searing moments. Saxe demonstrates the discomfort of emotional vulnerability while also evoking the silent yearning of someone pleading for sanctuary in a world that can seem anything but safe. Then there are curveballs like “SMARTPHONE MAKE ME DUMB,” a blistering, satirical take-down of modern distraction, and “SOFT ASS BITCH,” which inverts traditional notions of weakness into strength with swagger and a wink.
In “I WANNA MOVE TO BROOKLYN,” JP creates an atmospheric picture of reinvention and romantic disillusion. JP stated that sometimes, the life you dream about can directly contradict the life others dream about you sharing with them, encapsulating the tension that runs through the EP. Other highlights include “OKAY ANYWAY,” a harrowing anthem of emotional contradiction, and the whimsically titled “LET A GINGER MAKE YOU CRY,” which packs in barky cheek like it’s going out of style. Even “grandpa’s interlude” makes it heavy, anchoring the EP in generational echoes and sweet nostalgia.
Saxe describes his decision to divide the whole album into two parts as 90% creative, 10% survival, mindful of how you prefer to engage today in digestible portions. “Articulate Excuses” is flooded with substance, each song a precisely carved diamond in his ever-expanding crown in Saxe’s, and so many others, firmament.
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