It’s been five years since John Mayer released his eighth studio album, 2021’s 1980s inspired Sob Rock. But from the sounds of it, he hasn’t quite escaped the gravity of that decade’s music quite yet. On Thursday (Oct. 15), Mayer, 49, posted a provocative short clip on his Instagram hinting at a new song that might just help kick off the annual cold-weather temporary dating period known as “cuffing season.”

Hell, the brief clip literally features what looks like Mayer handcuffed to an unseen woman in a leather jacket and jeans, with the pair subtly, sweetly, linking their pinkies at the end. The post’s caption hints at some upcoming music, teasing, “I’ll run away with you… October 23.”

The accompanying soundtrack features a shuffling beat and synth pattern fans noted was similar to Bruce Springsteen’s smoldering 1985 Born in the U.S.A. track “I’m on Fire,” with a snippet of Mayer’s signature blues-based guitar picking coming in at the tail end. At press time Mayer had not provided any additional information about what he has in store.

He hinted in August that he’d recently finished mixing a new song in pal Andy Cohen’s spare bedroom during an episode of SiriusXM’s One on One with Andy Cohen. “I am mixing the first single in Andy’s bedroom. Andy has given me his bedroom and he has taken a different bedroom,” Mayer said. “Now in order to mix this single and have it out in time I had to rent studio monitors that are now set up on stands in his bedroom, and I woke up this morning and I mixed the single from bed with these monitors in front of me.” Mayer also clarified that a new single is definitely coming this year.

The timing appears to line up with Mayer’s upcoming run of spring 2027 run of solo, full-band and trio shows at Las Vegas’ Sphere, which has expanded into a 21-gig spree slated to open on April 8 and run through June 12.

Mayer has not released new solo music since 2021, though he appeared on Lainey Wilson’s June “Phone, Keys, Wallet” single from her upcoming sixth studio album. The song was recorded at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, the historic studio lot Mayer bought and renovated with director/producer McG a year ago.