American singer, songwriter, and producer Cautious Clay released his latest single, “Yesterday’s Price,” this past Friday. This new single drops in preparation for Clay’s upcoming new album, KARPEH, set to release on August 18th. This new single features instrumental performances from Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Joshua Crumbly on bass, and Sean Rickman on drums. Listen to Clay’s new single “Yesterday’s Price” via the official YouTube visualizer video below.

“Yesterday’s Price” heavily focuses brass performances over a fast-paced, light percussive track. The song features extremely minimal vocal performance, with just a few words uttered over the course of the single. According to Clay, “‘Yesterday’s Price’ is probably the heaviest song on the album… It’s about speaking one’s truth and expressing it in the most intimate and rawest form.”

The upcoming album KARPEH is very personal for Clay, as it shows him taking a huge artistic leap forward as the collection explores songs about growth, intimacy, and lineage, as Clay dives deeper than ever before into his jazz roots. In addition to “Yesterday’s Price,” the album includes previously released singles “Ohio” and “Another Half.”

Clay’s skill across multiple instruments is showcased in this album, and it’s all in service of the musical narrative: “I wanted it to be musical for the sake of telling a story,” he explains. “Throughout this album, I am equating my life’s journey to an amalgamation of my family’s past life experiences, an exploration of my present, and how those pieces will influence by [sic] future.”

Read mxdwn’s review of Clay’s 2021 album Deadpan Love here.