Looking to make an immediate first impression, Elijah Johnston swings for the fences with “Ideas,” the leadoff single from his upcoming LP. “It’s based around the big-tent sounds of ’90s pop rock,” says the Atlanta-based singer/songwriter.
Indeed, the mammoth singalong choruses of Fountains Of Wayne immediately spring to mind. But peg Stupid Soul as a pre-millennial throwback at your own peril. Available June 20 via Strolling Bones, the album showcases an impressive versatility, maneuvering from muscular alt-rock to retro-flavored Americana to confessional pop balladry to homespun, emo-ish folk. Recorded in Athens, Ga., at producer Tommy Trautwein’s home studio, Stupid Soul has a beefy sound and a warm low end that suits Johnston’s stylistic wanderlust.
Holding it all together thematically is “Ideas,” essentially the album’s mission statement. “It’s intentionally open-ended,” says Johnston, winner of the 2022 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter Of The Year Award in Athens. “Everyone has big plans and ideas for their future, and everyone has challenges they have to overcome to make them happen.”
We’re proud to premiere Elijah Johnston’s “Ideas” video.
—Hobart Rowland
