Sturgill Simpson isn’t retiring, he’s evolving. Again. The Kentucky-bred singer-songwriter, who previously declared a five-album cycle completed with 2021’s The Ballad of Dood & Juanita, is back with a new project – and a new name. Simpson is now performing and recording as Johnny Blue Skies, and will release a new album, Mutiny After Midnight, alongside an extensive tour.
The announcement, delivered via a letter posted to social media on , details a creative shift for Simpson and his longtime band, now billed as Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds. The album, Simpson explains, was recorded in Nashville between legs of their 2025 tours and is “centered firmly on groove.”
This isn’t the first time Simpson has explored a different musical identity. He initially introduced the Johnny Blue Skies moniker in 2024 with a collaboration with Diplo on the track “Use Me (Brutal Hearts),” and subsequently released the album Passage Du Desir under the same name. The move, while surprising to some, feels consistent with an artist who has consistently defied expectations throughout his career.
“The majority of this band has been on the road together on and off and on again for over thirteen years,” Simpson wrote. “We have all grown sometimes together and sometimes apart. But we’ve never felt more ‘together’ than right now.” He cites inspiration from the fusion-funk band Stuff and Marvin Gaye’s In Our Lifetime, describing a desire to create a record that responds to the current state of the world with a spirit of resilience and joy – “Let’s dance and make love,” as he puts it, echoing Gaye’s sentiment.
Mutiny After Midnight, according to Simpson, explores two distinct themes: “the dark state of the world and the bright state of love.” He anticipates some debate over categorization, but ultimately defines the music as “American Music,” with a core ambition: “to make a dance record.”
The tour accompanying the album promises a high-energy experience. Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds will perform without an opening act, maximizing their time on stage. Simpson also offered a revealing insight into the band’s dynamic, stating that he and his bandmates have learned to “harness our own neurodivergence and the weaponized autism of our collective members as a superpower” both in the studio and live.
Simpson’s career has been marked by a willingness to challenge genre conventions and industry norms. His initial success came with a traditional country sound, but he quickly expanded his sonic palette, incorporating elements of psychedelic rock, soul, and electronic music. The announcement of The Ballad of Dood & Juanita as his final album under his own name initially signaled a potential exit from music altogether, but the emergence of Johnny Blue Skies suggests a re-imagining rather than a full stop.
The artist’s previous pronouncements about retirement, as noted in a 2024 piece by Saving Country Music, weren’t uncommon in the music industry. The article pointed to artists like Barbara Mandrell and Robert Earl Keen, who also announced departures only to return to performing. Simpson, it seems, falls into that category – a musician compelled to create and perform, regardless of previous declarations.
The shift to the Johnny Blue Skies persona also follows a pattern established by other artists who have adopted alter egos to explore different creative avenues. While the practicalities of touring under a pseudonym – particularly for an artist of Simpson’s stature – remain to be seen, the move underscores his commitment to artistic freedom and a willingness to disrupt expectations.
Mutiny After Midnight represents not just a new album, but a new chapter for Sturgill Simpson, or rather, Johnny Blue Skies. It’s a continuation of a career defined by reinvention, a refusal to be pigeonholed, and a dedication to following his own musical vision. The album is Simpson’s second under the Johnny Blue Skies alias, following 2024’s Passage Du Desir.
