What We're Listening to: Johnny Petunia's Never Be Apart

As you can imagine, it’s been both a blessing and a curse to have unlimited free time to listen to music right now. The upside is music’s natural coping benefits; it’s easy to forget the state of the world when your favorite record’s playing. The downside, unfortunately, is experiencing music fatigue. When music fills your home 24/7, what stands out? In the “new local music” genre, the answer is Johnny Petunia’s March release, Never Be Apart.

Johnny Petunia is the solo project of singer/songwriter John Ryan who fronted rock quartet Petunia for three years. Like Petunia, Johnny exists on the power pop spectrum, but now with more synth-pop and alt-country influences. Think Human League, or Angel Olsen for a contemporary comparison. Fears such as regret and self-doubt are consistent lyrical themes throughout Never Be Apart, but bouncy melodies and upbeat tempos keep this album from being weighed down by sadness.

Additionally, it would be remiss not to mention how well each song on Never Be Apart flows into the next. The album is best experienced as a whole, even though CVZ recommends standouts “MC” and “The Night Of” for new listeners. Consideration for the album as a complete narrative comes in part from master producer and friend-of-the-zine Joe Michelini of Berlin Studios.

You can listen to Never Be Apart here on the blog or wherever you stream music.

Tunes from the Quarantine Episode #15: Marcin Jaroszewicz plays "Turn Me On"

photo by Brian O'Doherty

Hello lovelies! Over here at CVZ headquarters, we are starting to settle into the New Normal. However, the first week was ROUGH. We went from 100 to 0 in an instant, and suddenly all of those thoughts and fears and worries that had been waiting at the ticket counters of our minds had their numbers called. Today's tune seems pretty appropriate for this scenario. Marcin Jarosewicz of The Polka Dots wrote this song to confront these ideas. "This is a song I wrote in the midst of this pandemic. It's called Turn Me On and it's about growing up and trying to do better. I wrote it on my birthday (April 10th) and I thought it might be an appropriate time to share it, even though sharing music is something that always makes me a bit nervous. The song is about dichotomies and getting stuck in internal debates: 'should I do this or should I not?'; 'is this good or is this bad?' etc. I am learning to free myself from these dilemmas and see the trap of over-thinking situations. In that spirit, I chose to take a leap and share something I'm proud to have created. " We're proud not only to present this song to you but to be able to call Marcin a friend! Enjoy! And if you are able, please buy merch HERE!

Oof Records Compilation Features Philly Faves Swim Camp, Adult Mom

If there's one thing I've learned working in the DIY scene, it's the power of friendship. Oof Records, an independent tristate-area label, understands this, too. The label was formed last fall by best friends Ava Mirzadegan and David V. Britton with the mission of supporting friends' bands and cultivating a "comfy cozy niche within the music world." In March, Oof released their first cassette compilation of participating bands, which include CVZ faves Swim Camp and Adult Mom. The DC-based label also features two Philly artists new to the zine: Yardley and Michael Cormier, whose songs on Compilation #1 stand out for their spacey, lo-fi effects and Yardley's distinctly-Philly "talky" vocals.

If you're feeling lonely during this quarantine, we highly recommend giving Compilation #1 a listen--you can literally hear the friendship. We recommend giving this one a once-through active listen, then playing it in the background as you prepare dinner or read a book in a sunny spot.

You can listen here on Bandcamp, and stay tuned to @oofrecords on Instagram for updates.