JayWood - PISTACHIOS (Official Video)

Photo Credit: Stacy Lee

JayWood Finds Bold New Ground on PISTACHIOS.

JayWood – the ever-evolving project of Jeremy Haywood-Smith – returns this fall with LEO NEGRO, a striking new album due out September 5 via Captured Tracks. Known for his genre-fluid, emotionally rich songwriting, the Montreal-based artist (and self-proclaimed astrology nerd) takes a daring leap into vulnerability, identity, and reinvention.

If past releases hinted at sonic exploration, LEO NEGRO fully commits to it. It’s controlled chaos: 11 tracks that blend confidence with self-questioning, all filtered through the lens of a queer, Black, Leo-born experimentalist. There’s no playing it safe here – whether it’s the bold funk-pop of “SUN BABY” or the introspective swirl of “PISTACHIOS,” JayWood invites listeners into a deeply personal world split between selves, stitched together through play, truth, and sound.

“This is me at my most honest,” Haywood-Smith explains. “I had to write from different versions of myself to make sense of everything.”

Featuring previously released singles like “ASSUMPTIONS,” “UNTITLED (Swirl),” and “BIG TINGS” featuring Tune-Yards, LEO NEGRO is anything but shy – yet it doesn’t posture. Instead, it’s a nuanced celebration of vulnerability, wrapped in psychedelic soul, art-rock flourishes, and off-kilter pop.

JayWood joins NoSo this fall as main support on tour across North America, with dates in D.C., NYC, Montreal, Chicago, and L.A.

LEO NEGRO isn’t just an album – it’s a moment. Bold, weird, and completely JayWood.