MustBeJohn Announces Debut Album ‘Words To Live By’

MustBeJohn has confirmed the details of his debut album, Words To Live By. The UK alt-pop artist, who has built a following through a series of self-released singles, will issue the 12-track project independently on September 18th. It marks a shift in scale: a full-length statement after the incremental impact of tracks like “From The Start” and “Catch My High.”

The album’s arrival is signaled by new single “Get The Time Back,” written with Rich Turvey. The song is direct about its intentions — a nudge to inhabit the present, delivered without overproduction. MustBeJohn describes it as a personal reminder: “I was feeling caught up in a time period that I felt would never end and I guess this was me reminding myself to enjoy what I’ve got while it’s still about.” The line feels like a summary of the album’s potential, a document of figuring out what to hold on to.

An independent release on this scale is a bet on the connection between artist and audience. MustBeJohn is not relying on a label infrastructure, instead moving forward with the same directness that built his early audience. The album’s title suggests a set of guiding principles, but its real weight will come from whether the songs themselves feel lived-in.