John Mayer took his new song “Last Train Home” to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday for his first-ever live performance of the Sob Rock lead single.
For the Kimmel appearance, Mayer appeared as part of a nine-piece ensemble featuring a number of familiar faces from his recent solo tours as well as “Last Train Home” studio collaborators/Toto veterans Lenny Castro (percussion) and Greg Phillinganes (keys).
Behind the band, a stylized pink pastel background maintained the aesthetic of the forthcoming album, a sort of throwback to the sleek, pop-rock sensibilities of the 1980s—think freeze-frame-on-Judd-Nelson-fist-pump-at-the-end-of-Breakfast-Club vibes.
Watch John Mayer deliver his first live performance of Sob Rock lead single “Last Train Home” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.
John Mayer – “Last Train Home” (Live Debut) – Jimmy Kimmel Live!
[Video: Jimmy Kimmel Live]
The stylistic shift on “Last Train Home” is notable, especially when compared to recent singles like “I Guess I Just Feel Like” and “Carry Me Away” and 2020 Leon Bridges collab “Inside Friend“.
Mayer had been working on the new record for at least a year. In May of 2020, during a “surprise” episode of his “Current Mood” show on Instagram Live, he explained that he had been absent from social media in recent weeks as he dove into the writing and recording process for the album.
“I wanted to move my mental energy over to making a record, to lyrics, instead of songs about CVS receipts,” he joked. “Let me tell you something, when this record comes out, it’s either going to be your favorite record of mine or your least favorite.”
The rest of this year is looking busy for Mayer as he will surely be promoting Sob Rock amid Dead & Company‘s recently confirmed 31-date 2021 tour.
Sob Rock, the new studio album from John Mayer, arrives on streaming platforms on July 16th via Columbia Records. Pre-save your copy here.