BIO

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Twenty-four hours later, Cautious Clay isn’t calling it a day just yet. Over the past decade, the singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Karpeh has become one of the most quietly influential and prolific artists of his generation. With the release of his newest project The Hours: High Noon, he’s completed his most ambitious conceptual endeavor to date; a three-part project that’s equal parts mixtape and emotive timetable, his subjective interpretation of a day unfolding moment-by-moment. Following the bleary-eyed pop precision of Morning and the funk-driven depth of Night, High Noon faces the heat of broad daylight with the same anthemic touch that defines the best of Cautious Clay’s catalog.

Ever since debuting with “Cold War” in 2017, Karpeh has been fastidiously committed to his craft. That single, an instantaneous success first on Soundcloud and later on streaming, allowed him to quit his day job and turn what was once a hobby into a sustaining career. A near-constant stream of music and opportunities followed subsequently: EPs, albums, collaborations, tours, festival slots, and an enviable number of film/TV syncs. His homegrown soul captured the attention of fans such as Taylor Swift (who interpolated “Cold War” on her song “London Boy”), John Mayer (who joined him on stage at The Fonda in 2019) and BLACKPINK’s Rosé (who released a cover of “Wildfire” on Youtube in 2021).

With the abundance of mainstream success under his belt, Karpeh took his saxophone and swung to the left for his last full-length LP, 2023’s KARPEH. Dubbed “a radical reinvention” by NME, the record was a cathartic exercise on cultural identity, as he traced his lineage from West African roots to his Ohio upbringing and his Brooklyn present, via conversations with family members. Six years of preparation were distilled into six days of recording alongside musicians such as Immanuel Wilkins, Julian Lage, Arooj Aftab, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Karpeh’s uncle, Kai Eckhardt. The result was his most challenging and satisfying work yet, a full realization of the jazziest aspects of his discography flecked with R&B panache.

As his creative process evolved, so did his sense of normalcy when he moved to Philadelphia following the release of KARPEH. Suddenly time spent in Brooklyn — the place where Cautious Clay bloomed into the project it is today — became much more precious. Ritual became a necessity. Pushing the limits of a freeform existence that once felt natural, he began etching out a schedule that prioritized time away from the studio and diverted toward hobbies such as basketball and painting. Consequently, these limited windows of time for music provided the infrastructure for focused creativity, and soon enough, Karpeh had netted over sixty songs over the course of a year.

Of this batch, the twenty-four that appear across each installment of The Hours were selected on the basis of which Karpeh associates with each hour, infusing Morning with daybreak optimism, and Night with a darker, sensuous undercurrent; the latter includes the smoldering “5th Floor,” a song he wrote and produced with Raphael Saadiq, who then brought on Q-Tip for an unforgettable verse. With those first two segments of the project more obviously defined, High Noon proved to be a bit harder. “Midday is a nebulous time, so making songs for that felt challenging, and it took me a bit more time to address sonically,” Karpeh says. “These songs are generally more laid back and downtempo, with some reggae influences.”

Lyrically, they address a relationship held to the harsh light of day: how to embrace the detours and doubt that come with sustaining something that’s meant to last. It’s a feeling that comes out most candidly on the soft groove of “Trail Mix (3pm),” written with Braxton Cook, in which all trails lead back to the same special place: “whenever you find yourself a sensation that you never felt impossible to run from… can you change the subject slowly, so by the time I see what’s in mind, I know I have to settle into what’s meant to be.” With their inclusion, The Hours ebbs and flows as a complete body of work, always demonstrating Karpeh’s remarkable ability to craft songs that breathe with the humanity of their creator.

Credits

Recorded by Cautious Clay

Mixed by Cautious Clay

Mastered by John Greenham

Cover Art / Photography: Travys Owen

Green Screen (1pm) (02:10)

(Hans Anthony Quiben Galvez – Sam Hollander – Cautious Clay)

January Publishing Worldwide (BMI) / Artist House Music / Songs A (ASCAP) obo Big In America / Karpeh (ASCAP), Patriot Games Publishing (ASCAP). All rights reserved and administered by Concord Boulevard (ASCAP)

Produced by Cautious Clay & HXNS

Ivy (2pm) (02:24)

(Nir Felder – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay & Nir Felder

Trail Mix (3pm) (02:24)

(Braxton Cook – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay & Braxton Cook

The Light (4pm) (02:25)

(Christopher Kyle – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay & Chris Kyle

Red Blossom (5pm) (02:41)

(Jim Reed – Felix Joseph Quine – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay, Jim Reed & Felix Joseph

Wave Chaser (6pm) (02:26)

(Nate Mercereau – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay & Nate Mercereau

Mood Swing (7pm) (02:09)

(Jesse Fink – Cautious Clay)

Spirit One Music Crescendo (BMI) obo Arcade Artists Publishing & Jesse Fink Publishing / Karpeh (ASCAP), Patriot Games Publishing (ASCAP). All rights reserved and administered by Concord Boulevard (ASCAP)

Produced by Cautious Clay

Additional Production: Jesse Fink

Shadow of a Doubt (8pm) (02:50)

(Eli Reuben Hirsch – Cautious Clay)

Produced by Cautious Clay & Eli Hirsch

Lyrics

Green Screen (1pm)   

Picturing you when you not with me  

Everybody else an accessory  

Knowing that there ain’t no “I’ in “we” 

But I need you so selfishly  

We were ocean side 

My last memory  

Was only 10 past 3  

Was living in a lie  

living make believe  

like it’s only you and I  

on a green screen 

She said take my advice  

No matter where it leads me 

There’s no wrongs or rights  

when you’re living in a green screen 

There’s no sage advice  

Cus whatever you feel is real  

Until the show is over  

Picturing life where it’s supposed to be  

Do I got enough time in the recipe?  

I’m not trying to think too consciously  

when I’m thinking about you and me  

We were oceanside my last memory

Was only 5 past 3  

Was living in a lie

Living make believe  

Like it’s only you and I  

On a green screen 

She said take my advice  

No matter where it leads me 

There’s no wrongs or rights  

When you’re living in a green screen 

There’s no sage advise  

Cus whatever you feel is real  

Until the show is over  

The show is over  

Ivy (2pm)   

Like poison ivy  

how do you get under my skin 

It feels like 90 

I thought you were my next of kin  

What you’ve been hiding? 

I know you’ve got some on the side 

It’s perfect timing 

And I don’t need proof 

When you’re crying on me in the dead of night 

Go ahead and grow on somebody else  

cause it won’t be me 

It won’t be me  
 

If you expect to see me the same way twice that’s insanity 

You learned from mistakes  

as the earth quakes  

I’ll see you off 

Guess I’m turning on us  

If I was there in spirit like a rosary

then you had blind faith in me  

enough to find  

the presence of mind  

‘til it’s broken in pieces 

And I don’t need proof  

To know the ways you cry for help 

So you might as well grow on somebody else 

Cause it won’t be me 

No, it won’t  

know it won’t be 

It won’t be me  

Like poison ivy  

how you get under my skin 

It feels like 90 

I thought you were my next of kin  

What you’ve been hiding? 
 

I know you’ve got some on the side 

It’s perfect timing 

You would have thought I had a second wind (yeah)

Even if you once or twice my friend (yeah) 

Even if you were once or twice my friend 

Trail Mix (3pm)   

You filling up half my cup  

Cus the second that we feeling lonely  

You always want to mix it up  

I could pretend like we not watching closely but we’ve always been fit to cuff 

so now I’m laughing all way my fears at the thought of your name  

Cus I know you felt the same for me  

You wanna mix it up  

I know somebody else like you for me 

You wanna mix it up 

You know somebody else like me for you  

So whenever you find yourself  

A sensation that you never felt  

Impossible to run from might even be a one of one  

You change the topic slowly

so by the time I see what’s in mind I know 

I had to settle into what we were meant to be 

You filing up half my cup  

Cus the second that we feeling lonely  

you always want to mix shit up  

I could pretend like we not watching closely but we’ve always been fit to cuff 

so now I’m laughing all the way my fears at the thought of your name  

Cus I know you felt the same for me  

You wanna mix it up  

I know somebody else like you for me 

You wanna mix it up 

You know somebody else like me for you  

For you  

The Light (4pm)   

So when it’s not the low lights 

It’s the change in plans  

My bad habits going hand in hand  

When hard feelings turn to grains of sand  

Moving one by one (by one) 

Needed two shots just to keep my peace  

Still got a cold heart in wool knit fleece  

a boulevard full of burdens and beasts  

couldn’t change my ways  

(Cus) all my secrets dying in the daylight  

But this life won’t leave me lone

Casting shadows where they don’t belong 

But this the only place I like to call home 

Feel like my conversations turning into cage fights  

But this life don’t make me wrong  

Like the calm right before the storm  

This the only place I can call home for the long run  

They say the brighter the brights  

Then the better you tan  

I got dark thoughts just to thicken my skin  

All the sensations in the world  

But you can’t feel them all at once  
 

So if the itch ain’t scratched I won’t leave it alone 

Ain’t no chance I’m playing like a game on your phone 

Even with all the grape vines and tea on trees you won’t change my ways   

Cus all my secrets dying in the daylight  

But this life won’t leave me lone  

Casting shadows where they don’t belong 

But this the only place that I can call home  

All my conversations turning into cage fights  

But this life don’t make me wrong  

Like the calm right before the storm  

But this the only place I can call home for the long run  
 

So when it’s not the low lights  

it’s the change in plans 

My bad habits, going hand and hand  

When hard feelings turned to grains of sand, moving one by one by one 

Red Blossom (5pm)  

It’s always been about more than space  

Made it out the rat race  

Smoking down a wood and stone chilling 

I’m just another muscle man on a mission

You were my memory obstacle

Was just another flick of your wrist  

Now you had a new wish list  

But I’m smelling the flowers in bloom 

Like honey and wine  

You know I’ll never get sick of you  

It’s obvious I  

Stray every battle every obstacle 

I’m never too shy  

Cus whenever I think of you  

Its honey and wine  

So Imma be alright  

Serving body without the bass  

Saw the snatch of that waist

God willing  

Got me irrational  

So if it’s about how deep you love,  

I know it’s not free 

Call it a neighbourhood watch 

How you pocket watching

I see where the love is gone

Gotta tell me why

Like honey and wine  

You know I’ll never get sick of you  

It’s obvious I  

Take every battle every obstacle 

I’m never too shy  

Cus whenever I think of you  

It’s honey and wine  

So imma be alright  

The feeling of love is gone

Like honey and wine

You know I’ll never get sick of you

Wave Chaser (6pm)     

Goddamn 

Rose pedals and silverware on the floor  

Just tell me when to stop playing  

You stand on business like you open the grocery store 

A couple cards in my hand  

I know you got the motion  

And we nowhere near the ocean  

But you caught a wave on me  

I was just another tide  

to be on your side I know  

But they can’t tell me  

Who to cuff  

It was simple when you stayed down  

We just gotta lay ground  

I don’t want to hear a wise man 

They hate to see us do what we planned  

If you’re liken to a simple life  

Even when I got the timing right  

I was part demon part man 

Carry emotions like a 4-door passenger mini van  

I know it’s not the first time  

You counting up all the sand on the beach

But I’m the one that’s overthinking 

We got more than the motion  

And we nowhere near the ocean  

You know you caught a wave on me 

I was just another tide to be on your side I know  

But they can’t tell me  

Who to cuff  

So go on and take on me 

From the morning ‘til the night let them know what’s kept you home 

No they can’t tell me  

Mood Swing (7pm)   

We felt closer, but there’s more to hide 

Cus I only want what I can’t find 

So I fell in love to avoid the grind 
 

You try to numb the pain  

With the peace of mind  

Cus you’re leaving much more  

To be desired 

So i name the feeling 

That you left behind 

So If you wanna see this side 

Keep some time to waste   

Take a little summer drive  

While the lights still change 

And when the lights getting low  

Fresh pine and red wine  

Keep ‘em from closing  

But the bar ain’t the place that we’re coping 

I feel the sweet emotion  

Like a mood swing 

Going 50-50 on bad decisions  

But when that good one change tradition 

It’s all your demons writing comedy to try to change mines  

But if you wait around  

You know where exactly I would be 

Long as your mind ain’t closing on me  

So if you wanna see this side  

keep some time to waste  

Take a little summer drive  

While the lights still change 

And when the lights getting low 

Fresh pine  

Red wine  

Keep ‘em from closing  

But the bar ain’t the place that we coping  

When I get a sweet… 

(Soprano sax) 

Shadow of a Doubt (8pm)  

Been tryna figure out what she believes  

While she pluckin’ them lemons outta lemon trees  

Even the sour ones were sweet in season  

So all the expectations you know you can keep ‘em 

Cus all that I know 

Is I don’t mind moving slow  
 

You know my history  

You seen all that there is to see 

So don’t play with me now  

Cus the only shadow of a doubt  

Is in your head  

But you’d rather keep a picture of me instead   

There’s no body to body  

But I’m the only one you want  

If you’re not the writing on wall  

You’re still the reason that I’m falling so far   
 

Can you give me something to believe in without conditions  

but you don’t trust inner visions now 

But all that I know  

is I don’t mind moving slow 

You know my history  

You’ve seen all that there is to see  

So don’t play with me now 

When the only shadow of a doubt  

Was in your head  

But you’d rather see a picture of me instead   

There’s no body to body  

But I’m the only one you want  

[flute solo]