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.