EP Premiere: Georgraphy Joke – “You Had to Be There”
Posted: by The Editor
If ever there were a sound for movement, change, and the vibes between, it would be written by Stove Johnson, also known with their new project as Geography Joke. The interstate transplant wrote EP You Had to Be There in their first months of relocating to Tennessee, and the inspiration hit hard.
Check it out for yourself below:
With the move came an interest in playing new music, but Stove didn’t stop at a guitar or ukelele – they immediately dove into another new territory in a more electronic, fluid sound matched by the structure of early 2000’s mall emo songwriting.
Ever-present in Geography is Stove’s signature take on personal relationships and their own growth as a result. “Barf Brain” captures the entanglement of emotions in a loss, while confronting some longing in “How Far I Moved from Dunedin.” Everything in the record is a reflection of past and present, and how they blend into memory.
Stove’s inspiration deviates from some of their previous work, from melodic pop punk in the former Community Couch to uke-driven punk in their solo act. With Geography Joke, everything sonically deviates and evolves from rawer strings and drums styles into structured sonic flair of experimental pop. They’ve amplified and reshaped their sound into an auto-tune medley, drawing almost sonic landscapes in opener “Barf Brain.”
The sound itself weaves like being immersed into the spaces that Stove has explored. Be sure to give a close listen to this in “French Exit” and “Nosebleed.”
Follow Geography Joke on social media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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Amanda Starling | @starlingaj
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