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New Jersey’s favorite artist and producer Joe P has announced his debut album, Garden State Vampire, with an alternative heartstopper of a single, “Birthday Baby (The Girl with No Smile).” Fans have been awaiting the song’s release since Joe P first teased it on TikTok in 2021, and now it signals his forthcoming album, available on August 23 via Neon Gold/Atlantic Records.

“Birthday Baby (The Girl with No Smile)” is a picturesque example of Joe’s ability to build a soundscape; each element is delicately woven into the mix to heighten, not overwhelm, the arrangement. Starting with an organic acoustic guitar and vocals, it’s like listeners begin the song’s journey in Joe P’s basement studio alongside him, thrusting us back to the sonic and emotional space we were first introduced to it. Then, swirling synths and light industrial ornamentations fill in the space, and distant drums add a grit to the dreaminess. The atmosphere is both expansive and raw, giving a determined yet poignant feel to the track. 

The lyrics live in this unique space of hyper-specificity that is so detailed it becomes familiar. “Your brother doesn’t have your number / So you drove by his house / Now he’s got a daughter and they named her after you / The girl with no smile,” he sings. Joe P is a master at inviting you into his world and creating a transcendentally universal story, all the while retaining a sonic view and narrative that is entirely his own.  

“Birthday Baby (The Girl with No Smile)” was released alongside a stirring music video that follows Joe P as he searches for meaning in a vacant New Jersey parking lot. Juxtaposing moments of sprinting desperation and stoic singing, the video is a tangible representation of the coexisting despair and resolve in “Birthday Baby.” It showcases a range of nostalgia, arguably Joe P’s sonic specialty. 

Listeners can expect more of these bittersweet vignettes from suburbia in Garden State Vampire, Joe P’s long-awaited debut album, set for release on August 23. “Birthday Baby” is a peek into the album’s world that is bound to sit with listeners, heavy and light all at once. 

Watch the "Birthday baby (The Girl with No Smile" video below: