Today, he shares "Why Don't You Return My Love" and the stand-up track "Not Quite Old."
Josh Johnson is exploring uncharted territory to redefine the relationship between comedy and music with his ambitious 33-track mixtape Elusive, out this Friday, June 11. Today, he shares "Why Don't You Return My Love" and the stand-up track "Not Quite Old," both of which premiered this morning at BTR. "WDYRML" channels Otis Redding with help from Brooklyn-based trumpeter and vocalist Wayne Tucker.
"I had the incredible opportunity to work with Wayne Tucker to give the mixtape something with a more retrofit," says Johnson. "It was one of the pieces that felt necessary to complete the spectrum of expression we were creating. 'Why Don't You Return My Love' comes at the tail end of the first arc of the mixtape where I really wanted to delve into relationships and all the different outcomes that come from loving a person. I've admired Wayne Tucker's talent both vocally and the unique way he approaches instrumentals." "Not Quite Old" is Josh's attempt to contend with the fact that he is getting older and while actual old age is still a far way off, what's closer might be even more perilous for someone as socially awkward as him. "Part millennium escapism, part modern Negro spiritual," Elusive weaves the Chicago by way of Louisiana comedian's shrewd and self-deprecating observations on the absurdities of modern dating and American decay with nine music tracks (most of which he co-wrote) that roam the same thematic terrain. "I think it's more creative and interesting to see what a song sounds like that's about what the previous two comedy tracks are about," he says. "What's being relayed in that pain, musically, that isn't in the stand-up?"Listen here:
Videos