Johan Lenox Fantasizes About Escape From Dead End Suburbia on “Fuck This Town”
Debut Album WDYWTBWYGU Out May 13
“A classic coming-of-age tale enlivened by elegant instrumentation and moody vocal harmonies…remarkable sonic and thematic cohesion.” — i-D
Walking through dead end streets, getting high just to feel something: On today’s single “Fuck This Town,” Johan Lenox fantasizes about escape from some un-idyllic suburb. It’s an anthem for the quarter-life crisis, animated by young adult angst, self-loathing, and, against all odds, hope for a brighter future. “You know we’re never gonna make our parents proud,” Johan chants atop shimmering strings, “Just hanging with the ghosts who never made it out, until we make it out.”
Listen to “Fuck This Town” HERE
i-D just named Johan Lenox’s forthcoming album one of the best of 2022 so far — and the record’s not even out yet. Dropping May 13th, WDYWTBWYGU is a “satisfying front-to-back listen”, says i-D, and most importantly, the record is “a worthy addition to the canon of albums to play after slamming your bedroom door because nobody truly gets you.”
On WDYWTBWYGU, Johan wallows in the glorious mess of personal failure ("I'm A Mess (ft. Lancey Foux)"), stares down his uncertain future ("What Happening (ft. Kaycyy and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus)"), and scrambles for validation (“You Up? (ft. Ant Clemons”). It’s an un-idyllic, honest portrayal of adult existentialism, emboldened by grand orchestration, ambitious song structures, and enveloping soundworlds.
Since contributing to records by Kanye West, Lil Nas X, Travis Scott, Channel Tres, Teyana Taylor, Snoh Aalegra and more, Johan Lenox has committed to channeling his compositional prowess into a brazen and maximalist vision of pop music — WDYWTBWYGU is only the beginning of realizing that prodigious vision, and as Lyrical Lemonade says, “a testament to Lenox’s innate talent and ability to turn concepts into masterpieces.”
Pre-save WDYWTBWYGU HERE
Check out a performance of his "No One Gets Me" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert here: accompanied just by a string quartet, Lenox paints a pained picture of adult resentment with tenderness and drama, emphasizing the idiosyncratic but beautiful pairing of auto-tuned vocals and chamber music accompaniment.
Johan Lenox Upcoming Shows
5/23 Moroccan Lounge NYC - tickets
5/26 Mercury Lounge LA - tickets
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