Bernie Taupin will release his first solo album in almost 40 years, The Sea Has No Mercy, on October 23 via Vertigo Records and MCA Nashville. The Sea Has No Mercy is also the first album that Taupin has entirely self-written himself. The set is described as a “late-life manifesto” and the “soundtrack to his own life—a record that presents a master craftsman at his most personal, distilling 76 years of lived experience into 10 songs that are reflective and revealing, vivid and thoughtful, sometimes hushed, sometimes joyful, sometimes elegiac.”

Taupin was inspired to work on the body of music while writing his 2023 autobiography Scattershot and sitting for a retrospective documentary that has been in development for a few years. Ultimately, the three projects will be innately interlinked.

“I couldn’t have made this album as a younger man,” the longtime Elton John lyricist said in a statement. “I couldn’t have written any of these songs. They’re all completely indicative of Bernie Taupin at 76-years-old. They need the life behind them. Everything on this record is hugely personal. Every single line, every word, means something to me, whether from a past, present or storytelling perspective.”

The project was recorded in Nashville with producer Frank Liddell, along with a core band comprised of three Music City players—guitarist Adam Wright, bassist Glen Worf and keyboard player Michael Rojas—who are collectively nicknamed The Tennessee Stone Cutters. It also features guest vocal appearances from Brandi Carlile and Bernie’s daughter, Georgey, as well as contributions from Lee Ann Womack, the Jeremy Jordan Ensemble and percussionist Jay Bellerose. Carlile released an album with Elton John last year, Who Believes in Angels?, which features songwriting contributions from Taupin.

“The sea is the most intimidating, frightening element on earth. Fires, earthquakes and tornadoes are all destructive, but nothing is more terrifying than the loneliness of the open sea,” Taupin said of the album’s meditative title track. “But it fascinates me, and things that fascinate me are subjects I want to write about. In the song, I use the sea as a metaphor for too many past experiences that weren’t particularly positive. I align that with the intimidation of the sea. There’s a wonderful interplay there.”

Taupin’s last solo effort, Tribe, was issued in 1987.

Here’s a look at the album’s track listing

Fisherman

Old Church Road

The Sea Has No Mercy

Elephant Boy

Ghosts of Greater Men

Joker

Come On California featuring Brandi Carlile

The Favor

Old Dog

One Hundred Ways featuring Georgey Devon Taupin