Like his ’90s neo-soul peers D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell, mercurial master of smoothly sexy spaced-out R&B, operates on his own timetable. In the past 25 years, Maxwell has only released five studio albums, and they’re all lush and idiosyncratic bangers. Two of those five albums have been parts of a planned trilogy, but Maxwell hasn’t been in any hurry to complete that trilogy. BLACKsummers’night, the first volume, came back in 2009. Maxwell followed that one with blackSUMMERS’night seven years later, in the summer of 2016. Since then, the man has only released one non-album single, 2018’s “We Never Saw It Coming.” Today, Maxwell has announced that blacksummers’NIGHT, the third album in the trilogy, will arrive in spring of next year, and he’s also announced a forthcoming arena tour with Anthony Hamilton and Joe. With those announcements, Maxwell has shared “Off,” the new album’s first single.

Where “We Never Saw It Coming” was a social-message song, “Off” returns Maxwell to his seductive comfort zone. It’s all about shooting all your shots and being on a mission to go off. This is Maxwell truly giving the people what they want: “I see you in the dark/ You’re like moonlit spark/ I’m in awe/ Creamy chocolate work of art/ Your skin is so damn soft/ Coco butter silky thoughts.”

Under his Musze alter-ego, Maxwell co-produced “Off” with longtime collaborator Hod David. The song is a slow, watery, atmospheric quiet-storm jam with a softly murmuring bassline and a slow eruption of guitar. It’s just as lovely and horny as you could possibly expect a new Maxwell song to be. Below, listen to “Off” and check out Maxwell’s forthcoming tour dates with Anthony Hamilton and Joe.

TOUR DATES:
3/02 – Dallas, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theater
3/04 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
3/05 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
3/09 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
3/11 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
3/12 – Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
3/16 – Columbus, GA @ Columbus Civic Center
3/17 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
3/19 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
3/20 – Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum Complex
3/23 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Center
3/25 – Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
3/26 – Birmingham, AL @ Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
3/27 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
3/30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
4/01 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
4/02 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
4/06 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
4/07 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
4/09 – Chicago , IL @ Wintrust Arena
4/10 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
4/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
4/16 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
5/07 – Tampa, FL @ Amelie Arena
5/08 – Miami, FL @ FTX Arena