John Mayer released Tom and Jerry on October 23, alongside news that he is launching Sob Rock Records in partnership with Mercury Records. The single was produced by Mayer and Blake Slatkin and recorded at Chaplin Studios.
The song had premiered on Mayer’s SiriusXM channel, LIFE with John Mayer, the previous day. A live-vocal video was announced to accompany the release. Mayer’s statement explains that the title began as the name attached to his first voice memo of the song idea.
The song and the label are separate developments
The release establishes a new recording and a new label arrangement. It does not provide a full album title, running order or release schedule. Listeners following a possible larger project can treat the single as the confirmed starting point, while leaving those additional details open until they are announced.
The production credits also offer a practical way into the track. Comparing the studio release with the live-vocal presentation can help separate the written song from choices made for a particular recording. The comparison is useful without assuming one presentation is the definitive version.
The photograph here shows Mayer performing in 2019, rather than documenting the new session. Photo: Christian Sarkine / Thatcommonkid, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. The original is retained; display crops and thumbnails are used for the site layout.
Source: Official release announcement.
