alt-J Frontman Joe Newman Shares 'Track and Field' Video

By Editorial Staff | Published: Apr 14, 2026 2:41 PM EDT

alt-J frontman Joe Newman has released a music video for his new single "Track and Field" under his solo moniker JJerome87. The track comes from his forthcoming solo debut album "The Canyon" that is set to be released on June 26th.

Joe had this to say about the song, "I wrote Track and Field quickly. I see this song as an early '90s American montage that focuses on two college kids falling for each other on a college athletics track. The name 'Lamorna' I chose to honor my friend's dog, who ran off a cliff.

"Other notable bits of trivia include nods to Gerry Rafferty's Right Down The Line; the first song on a long list of songs I wish I had written and the triple-take line at the start of the song was inspired by Patrick Stewart's 2013 viral video in which he performs the quadruple take. Track and Field is a song to sing along to in a car going somewhere nice... a beach, or through a tunnel in a helicopter, Mission Impossible style. Enjoy."

He said of the visual, "My video for "Track and Field" is a time capsule that spans many decades from the last century. I wanted to explore the athletics track, more specifically women training and competing.

"The song itself celebrates the collegiate athlete, and so the main aesthetic focus for this video was athletics within high school and higher education. No better lens than a montage of grainy archival footage to synergize the nostalgic nods that the song 'Track and Field' honors. Bon-apple-tea. Breathtakingly high volumes of quick smiles and good wishes in these strange times."

Newman recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Carlos de la Garza, with a group of acclaimed local session musicians and a trio of female backing vocalists.