Open Mike Eagle Shares ‘What Happens When I Try to Relax’ Project Release Date

One month after announcing his new What Happens When I Try to Relax project, Open Mike Eagle has unveiled the release date for his latest effort. The Chicago-born rapper shared the date in a tweet he posted yesterday (Oct. 16).

Titled What Happens When I Try to Relax, the new project will drop this Friday (Oct. 19). It will feature six songs, and based on Mike's tweet, he's definitely proud of them.

"[My] new project is called What Happens When I Try to Relax," began in an announcement tweet he posted Tuesday. "It is 6 songs im releasing on my own record label that I'll put up against any 6 rap songs that came out this year. Preorders for the digital, limited CD and vinyl are available now."

Delivering another bit of good news, Open Mike Eagle has also teased the What Happens When I Try to Relax tracklist, which consists of six songs and seemingly two features. The teaser tracklist includes his new song ("Relatable (peak OME)") along with five other tracks left with incomplete spellings. It feels like a riddle, but in this case, fans won't have to wait all that long to figure out the titles of songs on his new project.

What Happens When I Try to Relax comes just over a year after he dropped off his last studio album, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream. It is also his first release through his own Auto Reverse record label.

The first taste of Mike's upcoming project arrived with the song “Relatable (Peak Ome),” which serves as the intro for What Happens When I Try to Relax. “It’s too complicated for a quick explanation," Mike wrote in a statement about the new track. "It's about a lot of things. It’s about expectations of form, anxiety, middle age and middle class. And that’s just the parts I know how to put into words a couple months after writing it."

While Mike has been putting together plenty of dope music, he's also kept himself busy in other areas of the entertainment world. Of course, fans know he's been making moves to push his comedy career, most recently working with Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Baron Vaughn on the upcoming Comedy Central show The New Negroes. He's also recently made his debut as a professional wrestler.

What Happens When I Try to Relax, which can be copped digitally as well as on vinyl, is currently available for pre-order on Mike's Auto Reverse Bandcamp page.

Listen to “Relatable (Peak Ome)” and view Open Mike Eagle's cryptic tracklist teaser for yourself below.—Regina Cho

Open Mike Eagle's What Happens When I Try To Relax Project Tracklist Teaser

1. "Relatable (peak OME)"
2. "E____ s____ t____"
3. "M________"
4. "S_____ g_____"
5. "S________ e____ (9_ b____ )
6. "M____ g___ (a_ i_________ )"

Here's the Ultimate Guide to Rappers With Acronyms in Their Name