Are you looking for the perfect song? The one that fits every mood and emotion you have? Well, you are in luck because we’ve found fourteen perfect songs just for you. Johnnyswim’s sophomore album Georgica Pond is here and it is beautiful. After the release of 2014’s Diamonds, fans eagerly awaited new music from the duo as they teased songs from the new album on their YouTube channel’s “New Music Mondays.” On October 14th when the album released, we were up at midnight eager to listen, too.
The album begins with “Welcome to Georgica Pond,” a 23-second intro that encompasses the vibe of the album while seamlessly transitioning into the second track, “Hummingbird.” “Hummingbird” is all about a relationship that isn’t as easy as it should be and now that said relationship is over, they are looking for a much simpler one. The track has a hard vibe, infused with the frustration of love gone wrong, of time wasted on someone who cannot give it back to you. The anger in “Hummingbird” is completely absent from “Summertime Romance,” the track that follows. Where “Hummingbird” is about regret, “Summertime Romance” is exactly what you’d expect it to be: a love song about how a summertime romance turned into forever. The track spends five minutes and four seconds writing tiny love letters as it switches from Amanda Sudano’s powerhouse voice to Abner Ramirez’s smooth and commanding voice and back again.
The next track on the album, “Villains,” is our favorite. Ramirez starts out the track singing “You’re hearing black, I’m saying white / You’re turning loose, I’m holding tight / Backwards in the same direction” and Sudano slides in without missing a beat “I’m in the wings, you’re on the spot / I keep it cool, and you’re quick to hot / Always ready for attention,” thus starting an exciting back and forth between the duo as they tell the story of a couple who can’t seem to stop making each other the villain in their love story. The track is full of quick, witty lyrics and a plea to make love work because despite all of the bad, it is a love worth fighting for.
“Touching Heaven” is a soft, slow track that relies on the piano to tell a story of the love of and devotion to family. The track ends with a snippet of their son Joaquin singing with Sudano and Ramirez, an aww-inducing close to the already sweet song. The title track comes soon after about the place her mother (Donna Summer) used to take her and her siblings before she passed away.
“Let It Matter” is our third favorite song on the album. The production is masterful while the message of allowing yourself the room to grieve your loved ones and not avoid that heartbreak and pain is a message we all can relate to and need to hear when we do lose loved ones. In a discussion about the song, the duo explained that one of their friends told them to let their pain and grief matter while they were grieving the loss of their father (Ramirez) and mother (Sudano) respectively within ten months of each other. “First Try,” “In My Arms,” and “Lonely Night in Georgia” ft. Vince Gil are all love songs in their own right, each with wonderful vocals and production.
“Drunks” is a track that catches your attention immediately with the opening line: “I want to write a song the drunks all sing and the sober sing along.” The track continues as a search for community and the feeling of belonging somewhere despite who you are or where you come from, the idea that something as simple as a song can bring completely different people together. “Say Goodnight Instead” and “Rescue You” are two of the album’s most lyrically beautiful songs, the kind of songs you find yourself humming and singing throughout the day without even realizing it. A cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” closes out the album. It’s a cover so good that we are certain he’s just as proud of it as we are.
“Georgica Pond” is out now and you can stream it on Apple Music, Spotify, or purchase it here.
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Johnnyswim into Georgica Pond: photos courtesy of The Apple Roots
