JOHN MAUS Shares New Single 'Pick It Up'

As American musician, composer, and academic John Maus readies the release of his long-awaited seventh album Later Than You Think, he returns to share the latest single from the project ‘Pick It Up’. A meditation on endurance and transformation, ‘Pick It Up’ arrives today alongside the announcement of a forthcoming music video, directed by Blake James Reid, set to premiere on Wednesday.

‘Pick It Up’ follows singles ‘Came & Got,’ ‘Because We Built It,’ and ‘I Hate Antichrist,’ which together traverse the emotional core of Later Than You Think’s themes of grief, justice, rebirth, transformation, and spiritual warfare.

John Maus’ recent sold-out shows in Los Angeles and New York affirmed his enduring cult status and the unparalleled intensity of his live presence. Around these performances, he opened up in rare, in-depth interviews with Stereogum and Sammy’s World, where he reflected on his philosophy, creative process and the emotional weight behind his music.

On September 26th, 2025, two decades and seven albums into his career, American musician, composer, and academic John Maus will release his most transcendent work yet: Later Than You Think. Arriving via his new label YOUNG, the album explores themes of grief, justice, rebirth, transformation, and spiritual warfare - coalescing into a work of confession and confrontation: an aural metaphysics where affect, intellect, and spirit converge in search of the beautiful, the truth and the real.

Written, produced, and recorded in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri, Later Than You Think spans 16 tracks and contains multitudes - the lush and the bare, the sacred and the profane, minimalist discipline and maximalist indulgence, counterpoint and simple pop harmony. At its core, the album reaffirms John Maus’ commitment to radical sincerity and emotional truth in an age of alienation. Powered by confrontation, faith and transformation - driven by the urgent belief that meaning still matters, and time is of the essence.

Holding a degree in experimental music from CalArts and a PhD in political science from the University of Hawaii, Maus has been dubbed a “philosopher pop star” and “analog futurist” for the way he merges academic rigor with lo-fi synth-pop aesthetics. His influence spans genres and generations—from UK grime icon Skepta, who sampled his track 'I’m Only Human,' and Gen-Z rapper nettspend, to filmmaker Josh Safdie, actor Natasha Lyonne, and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. His track 'Cop Killer' features in the 2025 film Friendship, underscoring his continued relevance across high and low culture.

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 where irony, grief, joy, and absurdity can coexist and gained a cult following along the way. On Later Than You Think Maus doesn’t just return- he confronts, confesses, and transforms. The result is not only a career-defining work, but a rare artistic offering: one that dares to believe in meaning, beauty, and the possibility of transcendence.

Later Than You Think is available to pre-order now as Standard Black LP, Limited Blue Hour Edition LP and CD and to pre-save on all digital platforms. Out September 26, 2025 worldwide.

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