According to Pitchfork, acclaimed Kentucky-born singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson has found a clever loophole in his promise of releasing only five albums of original material. Introducing his new alias, Johnny Blue Skies, Simpson is set to release the debut album Passage du Desir on July 12 via his own label, High Top Mountain Records.

Simpson, as Johnny Blue Skies, produced the new album alongside collaborator David Ferguson. The project came to life between Nashville’s Clement House Recording Studio and London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios. It comes as a follow-up to Simpson’s 2021 statement to Rolling Stone where he declared, “This is the last Sturgill record,” referring to his fifth album, The Ballad of Dood & Juanita.

Passage du Desir is not the first appearance of the Johnny Blue Skies moniker, as Simpson previously tested the waters with the alias on the 2022 track “Use Me (Brutal Hearts),” a collaboration with Diplo and Dove Cameron.

Simpson’s discography as Sturgill Simpson includes High Top Mountain (2013), Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2014), A Sailor’s Guide to Earth (2016), Sound & Fury (2019), and The Ballad of Dood & Juanita (2021). Additionally, he released two “Cuttin’ Grass” albums in 2020, featuring bluegrass renditions of his earlier works, as well as a cover of “All The Gold in California” that Simpson performed himself on an episode of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.

Along with the new album, Simpson has announced the “Why Not? Tour,” featuring bassist Kevin Black, keyboardist Robbie Crowell, guitarist Laur Joamets, and drummer Miles Miller. Passage du Desir tracklist and Why Not? tour dates are listed below:

Passage du Desir tracklist:

01 Swamp of Sadness
02 If the Sun Never Rises Again
03 Scooter Blues
04 Jupiter’s Faerie
05 Who I Am
06 Right Kind of Dream
07 Mint Tea
08 One for the Road

Why Not? Tour Dates:

08-11 San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands

09-14 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre

09-15 Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl

09-17 West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center

09-19 Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater

09-20 Quincy, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre *

09-22 Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater

09-24 Moorhead, MN – Bluestem Center for the Arts

09-25 Minneapolis, MN – Roy Wilkins Auditorium

09-27 Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena

09-28 Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre

10-01 Chicago, IL – Salt Shed

10-02 Chicago, IL – Salt Shed

10-04 Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater

10-06 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival

10-08 Oklahoma City, OK – Criterion

10-09 Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP

10-13 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival

10-15 St. Louis, MO – Fabulous Fox Theatre

10-18 Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center

10-19 Forest Hills, NY – Forest Hills Stadium

10-21 Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena

10-22 Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre

10-24 Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena

10-25 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

11-12 Philadelphia, PA – The Met

11-15 Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum

11-18 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem

11-20 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall

11-21 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall

11-23 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway