In 2024, eight years since their last release you are (thankfully) more likely to hear the phrase Johnny Foreigner being mentioned at any UK DIY gig instead of a pub you mistakenly walked into. Surprise new EP the sky and sea were part of me, or I was part of them gives both a preview of the new album, and a separate piece as its own whole. There’s the guitar acrobatics and guitar melodics of the old JoFo, and the catharsis in the writing is still as strong as ever. There is a strong sense of time passing over the whole project from the start, with ‘What The Alexi’ mentioning the ‘art school kids’ that they’re ‘too old to argue’ with. It is the bands self christened “first actual love song”, and being able to convey that level of emotional understanding takes time and practice of the craft of songwriting.
‘Ain’t at the Table’ and ‘Orc Damage’ give mirror image perspectives of the cycles music scenes go through, whether they have money or not. There’s a certain knowing jadedness in the lyrics, the parallels between people being cast out for their actions only to establish themselves in new spaces, and failing upwards in the corporate music industry. Interlude ‘(speak of it and curse it)’ connects both sides of the coin, threatening the dangers of trying to do right.
Photo Credit: Johnny Foreigner
The piano based ambient interludes tie the album together, and are more than just the social media teases that they were originally showcased as. The synthetic ambiance and tape warp accompany the pure keys giving a sense of looking forward as well as back. ‘Exhibit #1: This Automated Age’ takes the piano interludes and blends them with the JoFo sound. The vocal processing takes an interesting tone, with layers of autotune and vocoder, as well as granular chopping and looping.
With the band saying future album How to be Hopeful is a “pure project of chaos magick,” and many of the lyrics coming from a place of experience than the headstrong nature of youth that is the usual realm of DIY music of all genres, there is a unique sense of time and gravitas to the music. It is a cliche to say that a band has “matured” in their sound, but the EP has a perspective that can only come from time and experience in the dual practices of music and DIY. the sky and sea were part of me, or I was part of them gives the kind of catharsis that only seems to come from DIY emo, and the album – currently without a release date – will surely continue that trajectory.