Put your tents up and then keep them there — because comedian Jake Shane is gifting his fans a present they didn’t even know was coming: a debut comedy album. The TikTok star and podcast host will release Puss & Poems on November 22, a 13-track album co-written and produced by singer-songwriter-producer Alexander 23.
“We came up with the idea on a Therapuss episode,” Shane tells Rolling Stone, referring to his podcast. “[Alexander 23] came on the show and we were just joking about it. But then I came in the studio and recorded a poem, and then from there I just kept on coming back.”
Shane first grew to popularity in 2023, when he turned his TikTok used solely for ranking octopus dishes at restaurants into one that focused on absurdist, anachronistic historical improv: Did anyone in the Trojan Horse get claustrophobic on the way to Troy? Was Marie Antoinette worried about getting canceled when she said, “Let them eat cake”? What if people got drafted into World War I via spam text? But audience requests to see more spiraled into over 3 million followers on TikTok alone and a fanbase dedicated to Shane’s brand of anxious, irreverent, and relatable takes on mental health, growing up, and all things octopus. Puss & Poems takes that a step further, blending Shane’s signature absurdist and comedy style with his love of defying genres and expectations.
“Azelia’s Banks’ Broke With Expensive Taste is one of my favorite albums of all time,” Shane tells Rolling Stone. “She goes through 10 different genres on that album. So does SZA on SOS. And even though this wasn’t a serious album, I wanted to do different genres like they did. We did a hyper-pop, folk, country, rock, anything you can think of.”
Katherine Goguen*
“This word gets overused, but Jake is a genius,” Alexander 23 tells Rolling Stone. “We had the time of our lives making this album and I think that really comes out in the music. Puss and Poems is funny, but it’s not a joke. I would die for Jake Shane.”
The tracks will also feature select skits with celebrity appearances from Tate McRae, Jack Schlossberg, Julia Mervis, Joe Jonas, and Shane’s favorite Jersey Shore star, Snooki.
“We were in the studio and I knew [this] song wouldn’t be complete without Snooki,” Shane says. “I was blowing up her line, calling her. And she was like, ‘What bitch?’ I [asked], ‘Please just send in a few Voice Memos for the song I’m making,’ and she did. I was so lucky.”
Shane came in at number 14 on Rolling Stone‘s 25 Most Influential Creators List in 2024 and recently premiered Season 2 of Therapuss on Spotify. Puss & Poems releases Nov. 22, but Shane says he’s already working on his own take on a Brat-inspired deluxe.
“It’s Puss & Poems and it’s the same, but it’s not so it’s different,” he jokes. “I’m already writing my holiday song in the works, which is called ‘Santa Can You Pay For Me I Forgot My Card.’ At the end of the day, if you’re laughing with it, laughing at it, like as long as you’re laughing, that’s all I need. And make it a thing so I can stay busy.”