Cautious Clay presents 'The Hours: Morning' & inspirations

Heralding the hymns of new daybreaks, heartbreaks & earthquakes with Cautious Clay; photographed by Travys Owen.

In recent years, Cautious Clay has been associated with the biggest names in the business. Outside of the collaborations and admiration from fellow creative celebrities is a rich array of solo work that shines a light on the artist delving expertly into assorted schools of style and sound. Born Joshua Karpeh, the artist caught the world’s attention with breakout releases like Resonance, Blood Type, taking it to the next chapters in Table of Context, the towering majesty of Deadpan Love, the glamorous introspection on Thin Ice On the Cake, to the modern radio jazz wonder Karpeh and numerous other singles, remixes, and so forth that sailed through the many interconnective tributaries of pop music’s worldwide waters.

Delivering a brand new conceptual work orchestrated to the tick of dawn’s rising clock is The Hours: Morning for Concord Records. Recorded after making the move from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, Joshua’s latest odyssey witnesses the motions and trajectories that transpire at the beginning of a new day. The event of daybreak glides with a demure, intoxicated glee like a late amorous evening turned into a soiree that soars past a planned wake-up call on "Tokyo Lift (5am)". That early morning-after energy breaks like nascent sunrays of light on the heart ripping romanticism of "No Champagne (6am)", that turns the hazy tilt-a-whirl of thoughts during rush hour into a big center stage stealing number on "Traffic (7am)". The classic Cautious Clay sound can be experienced on full sparkling display with the driven vision a.m. jogging "The Plot (8am)" that joyously races ahead like the rapid firing thoughts in the runner's theatre of the frontal cortex.

"Promises (9am)" echoes with the kind of might and wizardry that recalls the past three decades of massive stadium shaking radio anthems that transforms early day dialogues into a tent topper testimonial, proclaiming a push for tributes of truths. Existential echoes croon like an electric eighties flashback from a past life on "Father Time (10am)", as "Amber (11am)" advances towards the middle of the day with a glossy groove that incorporates understated Aussie psych-pop tropes. Kapeh brings the morning to a close like a labor code mandated 30 minute lunch allotment on "Smoke Break (12pm)". The Hours ends with the arrival of noon, as Cautious Clay keeps the spirit flying high with an open-hearted devotion to expressionism that is found all throughout the artist's repertoire. From jazz meditations, influencing the biggest sounds in the Top 40 stratosphere, and an ever-evolving oeuvre of ambitious and alchemic approaches to creativity; Cautious Clay has earned his crown and throne in the mythic pantheon of today's most influential artists.

Join Cautious Clay as he shares exclusive thoughts on some favorite things:

Top three inspirations by Cautious Clay

Vapor arrows in the quiver commanded by Cautious Clay; photographed by Travys Owen.

Basketball

The strategy and the fluidity of basketball reminds me a lot of improvisational music, and songwriting at the same time. There is a certain level of planning in spontaneity that goes into creating an incredible song but also creating a great game of 5 on 5 basketball.

Each person or instrument has a role, things can be done in multitude of ways, but it’s better to make a decision sonically or in the case of basketball physically then to just stand there in inaction. The sport is also very grounding because it is based on your understanding of the skills and the game itself. There are no other metrics that are frivolous that might determine your success or ability to compete other than your physical limitations or willingness to get better. Music is not that way and so it feels refreshing to move my body and play a sport that allows me to disconnect from one aspect of my creative life and peruse another.

Observing the occurrences, expressions, and emotions that occur after the night meets the dawn by Cautious Clay; photographed by Travys Owen.

Human evolution

Humans have only been on this planet for about 300 to 400,000 years. There are other species of humans other than Sapiens that have existed for twice or even as long, (i.e. the Homo Habilis or homo erects between 800,000-1.4million years). Whenever I get sad or stressed out, I think about that fact, and how insignificant and self-importance so many people can be. I find it inspiring to take a step back and realize how finite our time is here. I certainly believe that climate change is real but also the earth will live on without us. And so keeping this place looking beautiful and healthy for as many of the people living here as we can is important. nevertheless, the earth will adapt it’s just a matter how fast we want it to happen.

Journeys and giant steps with Cautious Clay; photographed by Travys Owen.

Painting

One of my close friends, Aristotle Forrester is a professional painter and I have been always interested in doing it, but I hadn’t always had the right tools. He very much inspired me and gave me some direction for what might be interesting to consider. That being said, similar to Basketball painting offered me a new creative outlet that felt less stressful and opened up different pathways for me creatively as a means to inform the music I was making. My materials  are acrylic, sand, sharpie, paint thinner, paper, wood, and dried seaweed.

The Hours: Morning from Cautious Clay is out now via Concord Records.

Cautious international The Hours Tour begins this fall.

Cover art for The Hours: Morning; cover photography by Travys Owen.