Johan Hoffman was here with us last October, with a song, ‘Not safe (not sound)’ that I introduced as being a little ‘edgy’, bracketed in the ‘alt/indie’ category and replete with lyrical wordplay.
It was from an album ‘Sketches of Now’, which as it suggests on the tin was a sort of lyrical Snapchat, as it “sought to capture a snapshot in time.”
The forthcoming album a year on (‘Transit’) concerns change – a pretty broad topic – and was inspired by a theatre play that he wrote and performed in Stockholm during the last year. He is reworking the play now and some of the songs will find their way into the new reworked form, also employing sources that he has drawn from in this work.
I noticed that he released a song in 2021 called ‘Have no fear’ so I’m guessing this might be a common theme.
The previous song was different in several ways, having a rhythm section to start with and more aggressive in its presentation.
This time out he’s on his own with just a guitar and a vocal delivery which has moved on from Steve Harley to what could pass for early Dylan.
That’s certainly true of the sparse lyrics. There are only four lines –
“I fell down in a hole and I stopped digging
I was there by your side, not be afraid of (?)
You woke up in my arms/ I never fell asleep at all
It’s alright, you’re ok, never be afraid of God”
and they are impenetrable.
The first one suggests that he had been digging a hole for himself and the ‘change’ was to put right what was prompting that state of affairs.
Beyond that I’m struggling and I invite Johan to provide whatever clarification he deems fit in the Comments!
In the interim, if you like your songs to test you, its’ your birthday.
‘Never be afraid’ was released on September 22nd and the album ‘Transit’ will follow later this year.
Find him on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johan.hoffman.984
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johanhoffman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johanhoffman_/
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