On September 26th, 2025, two decades into a boundary-pushing career, American musician, composer, and academic John Maus will release his most powerful work yet: Later Than You Think. Arriving via his new label Young (FKA twigs, The xx, Sampha), the album explores themes of justice, confession, rebirth, transformation, and spiritual warfare, further expanding the liminal space where outsider art collides with art-pop, raw emotion, and intellectual depth.
A 21st-century philosopher-musician, Maus has earned a mythic reputation for his fierce belief in the emotional weight of sound, eccentric interpretations of pop and baroque, and legendary, cathartic live shows. Holding a degree in experimental music from CalArts and a PhD in political science from the University of Hawaii, he’s been dubbed a “philosopher pop star” and “nostalgic futurist” for the way he merges academic rigor with lo-fi synth-pop aesthetics. His influence spans high and low culture—from UK grime icon Skepta, who sampled his track “I’m Only Human,” to Josh Safdie, Natasha Lyonne, nettspend and collaborators like Panda Bear and Molly Nilsson.
With five previous albums under his belt - Songs (2006), Love Is Real (2007), We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011), Screen Memories (2017) and Addendum (2018) - Maus has carved out a singular path and loyal fanbase along the way. His upcoming single “I Hate Antichrist,” out in June, is accompanied by a video from director Andrew Norman Wilson (U2, Oneohtrix Point Never), and marks a bold first step into this new era. A handful of intimate live shows will follow, giving fans a rare, close-up look at his visceral solo performances.
At the heart of Later Than You Think is a sense of urgent renewal—lush yet sparse, sacred yet irreverent, it’s a radical reawakening from one of music’s most enigmatic minds.
