Kacey Johansing — No Better Time (Nov. 20, 2020) 
⊕ „Vyrostla jsem ve skutečně malém horském městečku jménem Leadville. Je to město s nejvyšší nadmořskou výškou v celé Severní Americe. Je to staré hornické město, kouzelné a krásné, zimy jsou extrémně dlouhé a není toho moc co dělat,“ vysvětluje Kacey Johansing o své výchově v Coloradu. „Moje matka zvládala dlouhé zimy tím, že hrála hodně na klavír. Tehdy jsem poprvé sama začala hrát. Společně jsme trochu improvizovali. Když se ohlédnu zpět, pravděpodobně tehdy jsem začala psát písničky. Myslím, že je to tak krásné a úchvatné místo. S kulturou v Coloradu jsem nijak nesouvisela, takže hudba byla vždy únikem.“
⊕ Los Angelesská skladatelka Kacey Johansing vnáší indie~popovou scénu svým toužebným, ale stále nadějným pohledem na lásku a znovuzrození svým čtvrtým albem No Better Time. Odstoupila od své společnosti v Hand Habits, vrací se ke kořenům a vydává sólové album spárované s multiinstrumentalistou Timem Ramseyem.
⊕ Album s 11~ti skladbami má být zkoumáním schopnosti člověka překonat bolest a stát se novým člověkem schopným přijímat lásku. Johansing řeší obavy, s nimiž se mohou diváci ztotožnit, pokud jde o lásku a ztrátu, když se ptají, kdo za to může. Obnažuje své srdce a ukazuje svou vlastní cestu transformace v naději, že její posluchači mohou „cítit trochu úlevy“, když zjistí, že nejsou sami. Album každou notou odráží tyto myšlenky, nesené akustickými kytarami a transparentní emocí v jejím hlase. Singl „I Try“ mluví k jádru zprávy způsobem, který říká „cítila se jako psychické stahování“.
⊕ „Jezdili jsme na vysokých vibracích poté, co jsme v podstatě ukončili tracking celého alba a já jsem bezstarostně začala hrát píseň. Kapela se posadila, přidala se a během hodiny byla píseň zaznamenána,“ vysvětlila. „Upřímně jsem si nemyslela, že album uděláme, ale nakonec to byla jedna z mých oblíbených písní.“
⊕ Není žádným překvapením, že Johansing upřednostňovala „I Try“ s jeho veselou, plovoucí melodií, která je vyvážena truchlivostí, co tahá za strunky srdce. Kolísavé elektrické tóny a šeptaná vyznání písně připomínají práci Tash Sultany, Fleetwood Mac nebo Carole King, ale duše je nepochybně Johansing. „Tato píseň je o snaze pochopit, že jsem v dlouhodobém vztahu a vyrovnání se s tím, proč ty minulé nefungovaly,“ řekla. „Nakonec je to o pokusu přijmout lásku, kterou máš, než bude příliš pozdě. Je tu touha rozmotat staré domněnky kolem pocitu, že je hoden a zaslouží si lásku.“ Album obsahuje příspěvky Todda Dahlhoffa (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevora Beld Jimeneze (Parting Lines) a Amira Yaghmaie (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
Location: Los Angeles, California
Album release: November 20, 2020
Record Label: Night Bloom Records
Duration:
Tracks:
01. Make Love
02. All of Me 3:33
03. Fall Backwards
04. Even a Lot Feels like Nothing
05. Time Lapse Flower
06. Puzzle
07. Let Me Walk Right In
08. I Try 3:41
09. Feels like Going Home
10. No Better Time
11. Not Only One
Credits:
■ All songs written by Kacey Johansing
■ Produced by Kacey Johansing and Tim Ramsey
■ Engineered and additional production by Tyler Karmen
■ String arrangements by Kacey Johansing (4, 7, 11), Tim Ramsey (6, 7, 11) and Amir Yaghmai (4, 7, 11)
■ Recorded at 64 Sound, Los Angeles, CA
■ Mixed by Rob Schnapf
■ Assistant mix engineering by Matt Schuessler
■ Additional recording by Rob Schnapf at Mant Sounds
■ Mastered by Heba Kadry
■ Vinyl mastering by Amy Dragon
■ Photography by Chantal Anderson
■ Credits photograph by Aubrey Trinnaman
■ Album design and layout by Miles Wintner
Review
Caitlin Able ⌊September 9, 2020⌋
■ Los Angeles songwriter Kacey Johansing is injecting the indie pop scene with her wistful but ever~hopeful take on love and rebirth with her fourth album No Better Time. Stepping away from her company in Hand Habits, she is returning to her roots and releasing a solo album, paired with multi-instrumentalist Tim Ramsey.
■ The 11~song album is intended to be an exploration of one’s ability to grow beyond pain and become a new person, capable of accepting love. Johansing addresses fears that audiences can relate to regarding love and loss, when questioning who is to blame. She bares her heart and shows her own journey of transformation, hoping her listeners can “feel a bit of relief” in discovering they are not alone. The album echoes these ideas in every note, carried by acoustic guitars and the transparent emotion in Johansing’s voice. Her single, “I Try”, speaks to the heart of the message in a way that she says “felt like a psychic download.”
■ “We were riding the high vibes after basically finishing tracking the entire album, and I light~heartedly started playing the song. The band sat down and joined in, and within an hour the song was recorded,” she explained. “I honestly didn’t think it would make the album, but it ended up being one of my favorite songs.”
■ It comes as no surprise that Johansing favored “I Try,” with its cheerful, floating melody that is offset by mournful what~ifs that tug at the heartstrings. The song’s wavering electric notes and whispered confessions bring to mind the work of Tash Sultana, Fleetwood Mac, or Carole King, but the soul is undeniably Johansing’s.
■ “This song is about me trying to understand being in a long~term relationship and coming to terms with why past ones didn’t work out,” she said. “In the end, it’s about trying to accept the love you have before it’s too late. There is a yearning to untangle old beliefs surrounding feeling worthy and deserving of love.”
■ No Better Time will be released on October 23 via Night Bloom Records. Produced by Johansing and Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Fruit Bats), engineered by Tyler Karmen (DIIV, Alvvays), and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cat Power), the album includes contributions from Todd Dahlhoff (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevor Beld Jimenez (Parting Lines) and Amir Yaghmai (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
■ https://americansongwriter.com/
About:
■ The album is an exploration of love and how one accepts it into his/her/their life. It asks how can someone allow love when the past is full of trauma. Can we become someone new and leave behind our former selves? Can place allow us that freedom? How does one find the strength to try again?
■ Across 11 songs Johansing wrestles to find the answers, her unmistakable vocals always leading the way. Anchored by powerful performances pulled from three days of live tracking with her band all in the same room, the album is bounding and energetic at its core. First takes were prioritized and perfection was rarely the goal. Rather, capturing an emotion and honesty from herself and the players was the rule of the day. The album pulls from Johansing’s love of classic pop — it’s her LA record — the place where she now resides and initially struggled to understand. Joan Didion said, “The future always looks good in the golden land, because no one remembers the past.” Kacey saw that and chose to tap into the creative buzz happening all around her — at small clubs and while dipping in and out of playing in friends’ bands, including in between tours as a member of Hand Habits. The resulting “No Better Time” is the sound of letting go and faithfully falling into step with a new way. There are vibraphones and swooping strings, grand pianos and doubled acoustic guitars, washes of tape delay and woodwinds — but it is the songs that continue to set Johansing apart. Here she unveils her strongest set yet.
■ Produced by Johansing and multi~instrumentalist Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Fruit Bats), engineered by Tyler Karmen (DIIV, Alvvays) and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cat Power), the album includes contributions from Todd Dahlhoff (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevor Beld Jimenez (Parting Lines) and Amir Yaghmai (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
Bandcamp: https://kaceyjohansing.bandcamp.com/merch
Website: https://www.kaceyjohansingmusic.com/
INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/kaceyjohansing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaceyjohansing
Label: https://www.nightbloomrecords.com/
Words: George O’Brien / 30 OCTOBER 2018, 09:45 GMT: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/kacey-johansing-on-the-rise-interview-2018
⊕ Los Angelesská skladatelka Kacey Johansing vnáší indie~popovou scénu svým toužebným, ale stále nadějným pohledem na lásku a znovuzrození svým čtvrtým albem No Better Time. Odstoupila od své společnosti v Hand Habits, vrací se ke kořenům a vydává sólové album spárované s multiinstrumentalistou Timem Ramseyem.
⊕ Album s 11~ti skladbami má být zkoumáním schopnosti člověka překonat bolest a stát se novým člověkem schopným přijímat lásku. Johansing řeší obavy, s nimiž se mohou diváci ztotožnit, pokud jde o lásku a ztrátu, když se ptají, kdo za to může. Obnažuje své srdce a ukazuje svou vlastní cestu transformace v naději, že její posluchači mohou „cítit trochu úlevy“, když zjistí, že nejsou sami. Album každou notou odráží tyto myšlenky, nesené akustickými kytarami a transparentní emocí v jejím hlase. Singl „I Try“ mluví k jádru zprávy způsobem, který říká „cítila se jako psychické stahování“.
⊕ „Jezdili jsme na vysokých vibracích poté, co jsme v podstatě ukončili tracking celého alba a já jsem bezstarostně začala hrát píseň. Kapela se posadila, přidala se a během hodiny byla píseň zaznamenána,“ vysvětlila. „Upřímně jsem si nemyslela, že album uděláme, ale nakonec to byla jedna z mých oblíbených písní.“
⊕ Není žádným překvapením, že Johansing upřednostňovala „I Try“ s jeho veselou, plovoucí melodií, která je vyvážena truchlivostí, co tahá za strunky srdce. Kolísavé elektrické tóny a šeptaná vyznání písně připomínají práci Tash Sultany, Fleetwood Mac nebo Carole King, ale duše je nepochybně Johansing. „Tato píseň je o snaze pochopit, že jsem v dlouhodobém vztahu a vyrovnání se s tím, proč ty minulé nefungovaly,“ řekla. „Nakonec je to o pokusu přijmout lásku, kterou máš, než bude příliš pozdě. Je tu touha rozmotat staré domněnky kolem pocitu, že je hoden a zaslouží si lásku.“ Album obsahuje příspěvky Todda Dahlhoffa (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevora Beld Jimeneze (Parting Lines) a Amira Yaghmaie (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
Location: Los Angeles, California
Album release: November 20, 2020
Record Label: Night Bloom Records
Duration:
Tracks:
01. Make Love
02. All of Me 3:33
03. Fall Backwards
04. Even a Lot Feels like Nothing
05. Time Lapse Flower
06. Puzzle
07. Let Me Walk Right In
08. I Try 3:41
09. Feels like Going Home
10. No Better Time
11. Not Only One
Credits:
■ All songs written by Kacey Johansing
■ Produced by Kacey Johansing and Tim Ramsey
■ Engineered and additional production by Tyler Karmen
■ String arrangements by Kacey Johansing (4, 7, 11), Tim Ramsey (6, 7, 11) and Amir Yaghmai (4, 7, 11)
■ Recorded at 64 Sound, Los Angeles, CA
■ Mixed by Rob Schnapf
■ Assistant mix engineering by Matt Schuessler
■ Additional recording by Rob Schnapf at Mant Sounds
■ Mastered by Heba Kadry
■ Vinyl mastering by Amy Dragon
■ Photography by Chantal Anderson
■ Credits photograph by Aubrey Trinnaman
■ Album design and layout by Miles Wintner
Review
Caitlin Able ⌊September 9, 2020⌋
■ Los Angeles songwriter Kacey Johansing is injecting the indie pop scene with her wistful but ever~hopeful take on love and rebirth with her fourth album No Better Time. Stepping away from her company in Hand Habits, she is returning to her roots and releasing a solo album, paired with multi-instrumentalist Tim Ramsey.
■ The 11~song album is intended to be an exploration of one’s ability to grow beyond pain and become a new person, capable of accepting love. Johansing addresses fears that audiences can relate to regarding love and loss, when questioning who is to blame. She bares her heart and shows her own journey of transformation, hoping her listeners can “feel a bit of relief” in discovering they are not alone. The album echoes these ideas in every note, carried by acoustic guitars and the transparent emotion in Johansing’s voice. Her single, “I Try”, speaks to the heart of the message in a way that she says “felt like a psychic download.”
■ “We were riding the high vibes after basically finishing tracking the entire album, and I light~heartedly started playing the song. The band sat down and joined in, and within an hour the song was recorded,” she explained. “I honestly didn’t think it would make the album, but it ended up being one of my favorite songs.”
■ It comes as no surprise that Johansing favored “I Try,” with its cheerful, floating melody that is offset by mournful what~ifs that tug at the heartstrings. The song’s wavering electric notes and whispered confessions bring to mind the work of Tash Sultana, Fleetwood Mac, or Carole King, but the soul is undeniably Johansing’s.
■ “This song is about me trying to understand being in a long~term relationship and coming to terms with why past ones didn’t work out,” she said. “In the end, it’s about trying to accept the love you have before it’s too late. There is a yearning to untangle old beliefs surrounding feeling worthy and deserving of love.”
■ No Better Time will be released on October 23 via Night Bloom Records. Produced by Johansing and Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Fruit Bats), engineered by Tyler Karmen (DIIV, Alvvays), and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cat Power), the album includes contributions from Todd Dahlhoff (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevor Beld Jimenez (Parting Lines) and Amir Yaghmai (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
■ https://americansongwriter.com/
About:
■ The album is an exploration of love and how one accepts it into his/her/their life. It asks how can someone allow love when the past is full of trauma. Can we become someone new and leave behind our former selves? Can place allow us that freedom? How does one find the strength to try again?
■ Across 11 songs Johansing wrestles to find the answers, her unmistakable vocals always leading the way. Anchored by powerful performances pulled from three days of live tracking with her band all in the same room, the album is bounding and energetic at its core. First takes were prioritized and perfection was rarely the goal. Rather, capturing an emotion and honesty from herself and the players was the rule of the day. The album pulls from Johansing’s love of classic pop — it’s her LA record — the place where she now resides and initially struggled to understand. Joan Didion said, “The future always looks good in the golden land, because no one remembers the past.” Kacey saw that and chose to tap into the creative buzz happening all around her — at small clubs and while dipping in and out of playing in friends’ bands, including in between tours as a member of Hand Habits. The resulting “No Better Time” is the sound of letting go and faithfully falling into step with a new way. There are vibraphones and swooping strings, grand pianos and doubled acoustic guitars, washes of tape delay and woodwinds — but it is the songs that continue to set Johansing apart. Here she unveils her strongest set yet.
■ Produced by Johansing and multi~instrumentalist Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Fruit Bats), engineered by Tyler Karmen (DIIV, Alvvays) and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cat Power), the album includes contributions from Todd Dahlhoff (Feist, Devendra Banhart), Trevor Beld Jimenez (Parting Lines) and Amir Yaghmai (Julian Casablancas + The Voidz).
Bandcamp: https://kaceyjohansing.bandcamp.com/merch
Website: https://www.kaceyjohansingmusic.com/
INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/kaceyjohansing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaceyjohansing
Label: https://www.nightbloomrecords.com/
Words: George O’Brien / 30 OCTOBER 2018, 09:45 GMT: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/kacey-johansing-on-the-rise-interview-2018