Kacey Johansing will release her new album “No Better Time” next month on Night Bloom Records (20 November). Her last album, The Hiding, made a lasting impression on our reviewer Matt McGinn:
….an album that is better than anything I have heard from the States this year.
Kacey Johansing’s voice is mesmerising, her songs are perfect, and the album ‘The Hiding’ is a sonic masterpiece. This album will make your summer better, no matter the weather.
Her new 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.
Listen to the title track below which is out today.
Kacey on ‘No Better Time’
“It makes me wonder, how much further can I carry the weight of a lie?” “No Better Time” is about creating boundaries with abusive and alcoholic men in my life. It starts off with an unconditional blessing and well wishes but at its core, there is a yearning to cut ties and for the truth be known. I think we want to protect the ones we love even if those people have hurt us. This can sometimes mean lying on their behalf and keeping the abuse a secret. This song grapples with that feeling. Finding some kind of healing balance that includes loving and wishing the best for someone who has caused such deep pain while also holding them accountable. We see this playing out in our government as well as the corrupt and the abusive continue to be protected and hold power without consequence. As the election approaches, I stand in awe of all of the women and people who have spoken truth to power. Even when it seems to fall on deaf ears, I know that we must continue to do so. There truly is no better time.
No Better Time is released as a single today.
The album is out on 20 November 2020.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://kaceyjohansing.bandcamp.com/album/no-better-time
https://www.kaceyjohansingmusic.com/