Although we get to hear Johanna Samuels’ new album Bystander in full in two days, the LA-based folk-rock songwriter is sharing the single “The Rest of Us” today less as a final preview of that release and more as a standalone testament to the power of the true relationships—both personal and professional—that helped Samuels get this record to the finish line. “I had been reflecting on time and how it prisms in long relationships,” she shares of the track’s origins. “I cherish my longest friendships because no matter how much it's possible to lose myself in different periods of life, the ones who truly know me have an increasing capacity to remind me who I am. A new definition of ‘chosen family’ really revealed itself to me during the writing of these songs." The laid-back recording is a comforting listen, as the ballad’s lyrics resolve in the assuring refrain “There’s nothing wrong with you / That isn’t wrong with the rest of us.”
Adding to this soothing sense of companionship is a video that pairs footage of Samuels alongside her bandmates from recent tours with scenes in the studio with producer Josh Kaufman and his bandmates in Bonny Light Horseman before concluding with a particularly meaningful cherished memory. “It ends with footage from a night I spent with two of my best friends, Brittany and Rebecca,” Samuels reminisces. “We had tickets to see Wilco in Queens, and it was completely rained out. People were rushing out and bailing and we decided to just lean in. We were completely soaked, we got overpriced margaritas, sang every word, laughed, and cried. After the show they walked ahead of me. I watched them march out of the stadium in the rain and wanted to never forget the image of their sweet, little feet walking together in the puddles.”
Check out the footage below, and pre-order Bystander here.
