Quickly, Quickly Slows Down With New EP ‘Easy Listening’
THE INSTRUMENTAL YEARS SEPARATING YOUR TEENS FROM YOUR EARLY TWENTIES — have the ability to completely define your personality and shape your worldview. Quickly, Quickly, the pseudonym of artist Graham Johnson, found that out firsthand after having his first album rocket him to tens of millions of Spotify listens when he was still a teenager. Now a young adult, Johnson’s sound has grown along with him, as showcased on his new EP, Easy Listening.
“I feel like these songs are more mature than anything I’ve released before” Johnson says, “and I’m excited for people to hear the place I've been at.”
Easy Listening slows down slightly from some of Johnson’s previous sound to embrace the new phase in which he finds himself.
“This EP has probably been about a year and some change in the making,” Johnson explains. “I became obsessed with old weirdo soul and psychedelic music from the ’60s and ’70s and had planned on making a full album of my interpretation of that stuff. After making a ton of random songs in this vein I realized that the only ones I really loved were the five that ended up on the EP.”
The obsession comes across throughout the record as Johnson gives new life to classic string, drum, and synth sounds by blending them with lo-fi beats and funky distortion. Across the EP, hallmarks of ’60s and ’70s psychedelia can be heard as a backdrop to a modern interpretation of the same ideas.
“I didn't put a ton of thought into these songs and kind of just let them flow at their will, trying to keep it light and fun,” he says. “I have a problem of overthinking every musical decision I make so this was a good exercise in overcoming that.”
A collaborative effort spearheaded by Johnson, the positive energy that comes from a group of friends working together can be felt all throughout the EP.
“My roommate and best bud, Elliot Cleverdon, played some strings on ‘Colors V2/Music’ and ‘Natural Form,’” he says. “Micah Hummel laced ‘Colors V2/Music’ with a delicious drum groove, and the hero, Zach Schleiker, laid down a bit of guitar on the second verse of ‘Satellite.’ I love these guys”
This energy is at the core of Easy Listening, as the EP explores themes that a group of twenty-somethings, all playing music together, would relate to. The songs touch on love, heartbreak, technology, and finding oneself, themes that are always present for twenty-somethings, but especially after the tumult of the last few years.
“I can't ignore what’s going on in my life and as corny as it sounds,” Johnson explains. “Making music is really my outlet for all that shit. The easiest thing to write about for me is my life, so a lot of the songs are about simple things that were happening to me around that time. It’s cool if people can relate — that’s what it’s all about really”
Embarking on a tour for the EP as the opener for Quadeca this May and June, Johnson put together a band to play songs that he originally created as a solo artist.
“It's been so fun working these songs out into a full band setting!” Johnson says. “I am incredibly lucky to play with the wonderfully talented musicians I play with and they have really made my life a lot easier in that aspect.”
Excited to see the world and share his music with the people of it, Johnson cannot wait for the tour to begin.
“I'm most excited to go to some places I've never been before — and of course to get these songs out to people who might not have heard of me or my music!”
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