{"title":"Johanna Samuels","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohanna Samuels is a talented singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. With her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics, she captivates audiences with her unique blend of folk and indie rock. Johanna's music tells stories of love, loss, and self-discovery, resonating with listeners on a deep emotional level. Her authentic sound and relatable songwriting have earned her a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim within the music industry. Whether performing solo or with her band, Johanna delivers powerful performances that leave a lasting impression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Los Angeles, Johanna began writing songs at a young age as a way to express herself. Influenced by artists such as Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, she honed her craft while studying music at university. After graduating, Johanna embarked on her musical journey, playing gigs at local venues and gaining recognition for her talent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the years, Johanna has released several albums that showcase her growth as an artist. Her introspective lyrics combined with catchy melodies create an irresistible sound that draws listeners in. In addition to being a skilled songwriter and performer, Johanna is also an accomplished guitarist and pianist.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"have-a-good-one","title":"Have A Good One","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn in New York City and named after Dylan’s Vision of Johanna, Samuels subsequently moved to LA and grew up on the classic songwriters of yesteryear (Young, Petty, Morrison) before finding her way to Elliott Smith and Jon Brion, both of whom had a huge impact on her writing. Samuels then spent the best part of a decade honing her craft, carefully peeling away the layers until she found herself here; a stark, absorbing, and, yes, visceral new collection that is her strongest and most honest work to-date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinding a way to balance bright pop melodies with a drifting sense of melancholy that can’t be placed,Samuels made the most of a bad year, writing the EP as a reaction to her longterm relationship falling apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than just skin-and-bone, the songs here are comprised of lap steel, clarinet, Juno analog synthesisers, and more, and this rich instrumentation provides a swaying and elegant back-drop which helps bringSamuel’s stories beautifully to life. Recorded with musical partner, the up and coming producer Sean O’Brien (who helped engineer The National’s \u003ci\u003eSleep Well Beast\u003c\/i\u003e LP) the new EP was created in his studio, which became something of a haven for Samuels and the work she was creating. As such, the five songs on \u003ci\u003eHave A Good One\u003c\/i\u003e are full of emotional and musical depth, each moment of darkness acutely balanced by a brightness that lifts these songs out of a shadows and into the hearts and minds of the listener.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese two elements are the ying-and-yang of Samuels work, and nowhere is this better epitomised than on the record’s opening two songs. Lead track \u003ci\u003eWhy Do I Go There?\u003c\/i\u003e is a bold, glowing opener, the playful pianoand lush instrumentation belying the sense of heartache in Samuels beautifully lilting voice, driving the track forwards as it softly buries its way into your consciousness. Then comes the tender, country-like balladry of \u003ci\u003eRush Of Wheels\u003c\/i\u003e, written quickly in the dead hours of night,it presents a poignant quest for answers, aching under the weight of its emotional turmoil; sad and oh so beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohanna Samuels is fourth signing to Basin Rock, a relatively new label based in the Lancashire \/ Yorkshire border town of Todmorden) who has released albums by Julie Byrne, Nadia Reid and Jim Ghedi.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Basin Rock","offers":[{"title":"7\"","offer_id":50384379412811,"sku":"1059709","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/9fb9c1fb-aef3-4273-b870-7450823cd62a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726297370"},{"product_id":"excelsior","title":"Excelsior!","description":"\u003cp\u003eMore excellence from the Basin Rock label following albums from \u003cstrong\u003eNadia Reid\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJulie Byrne\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAoife Nessa Frances\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJim Ghedi\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAlex Maas\u003c\/strong\u003e. With a special knack for balancing bright pop melodies with a drifting sense of melancholy, LA based Johanna Samuels new album \u003cem\u003eExcelsior!\u003c\/em\u003e is a tender, honest document of the importance of companionship above all else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNamed after Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna”, Samuels grew up on the classic songwriters of yesteryear (George Harrison, Tom Petty, Neil Young) and after a healthy dose of Elliott Smith and Jon Brion, has spent the best part of the last decade honing her craft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExcelsior!\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded in a small cabin in West Shokan in NY State, in the middle of the winter with her band and producer Sam Evian but it's songs are full of West Coast sunshine. It's Evian's first full album production at his own Flying Cloud Studios. Recorded mostly to tape, the album is as a gorgeous combination of vintage instrumentation, strong melodic hooks, killer harmonies and Samuels’ elegant voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSamuels seeks those answers through companionship, exploring the depths of her relationships and then calling upon a handful of womxn to provide the album’s backing vocals - a task she’d always performed herself until now. As such, \u003cem\u003eExcelsior!\u003c\/em\u003e makes a space for the voices of Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, Lomelda’s Hannah Read, A.O. Gerber, Louise Florence and Olivia Kaplan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe album takes its name from the signature that Samuels’ grandpa would use before he sadly passed away last December. “He was a very important person to me and he helped raise me,” Johanna explains. “He signed all of his letters and emails ‘Excelsior!’, including the exclamation point. It means ‘ever upward’ and that’s what I wish for everyone: to grow from listening with more empathy and from hearing each other out. I hope this record makes people want to be gentler with each other and themselves.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Basin Rock","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50473967878475,"sku":"1115247","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50473972597067,"sku":"1115246","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/55095516-769c-48ba-950a-57a5e6a5d0a8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727432509"},{"product_id":"bystander-2","title":"Bystander","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first witnesses to Samuels' new beginnings fittingly became part of the sound of the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring her darkest moments, while writing in isolation, her old friends in the band Bonny Light Horseman offered to take her out on tour in early 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"They re-contextualised music for me all over again,\" she says. Observing a truly kind and compassionate music community brought Samuels out of herself even more. Inspired by conversations with producer Josh Kaufman (The Hold Steady, Bob Weir, Cassandra Jenkins) on the road, Samuels took him up on his offer to produce her new songs and retreated to Isokon Studios in Woodstock, NY in the summer of 2021. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey made the album as a duo, with Matt Barick (The Walkmen, Fleet Foxes) contributing drums on the entirety of the record. The result is a sonic template that ranges from the soaring and orchestral to the understated and confessional; at turns free- wheeling and filled with swagger then sincere and precise, with each subtle movement serving to highlight Samuels' lyrical journeys.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jealous Butcher","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50482720309579,"sku":"2029415","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50482721227083,"sku":"2029418","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Bystander_f36fb992_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727555309"},{"product_id":"sorry-kid","title":"Sorry, Kid","description":"\u003cp\u003eSometimes an album title arrives like a voice from across time. For Johanna Samuels, \u003cem\u003eSorry, Kid\u003c\/em\u003e began as a message to her younger self, part apology and part recognition. Gathering songs written as far back as 2007 alongside newer work, the album bridges nearly two decades of lived experience. The record holds 70s tones without leaning on them, drawing from a lineage of melody and restraint while staying fully alive in its own time. It feels lived in, steady, and quietly powerful, like something finally understood without needing to be explained. The result is intimate and fully realized, songs that began as questions now settling into something like resolution.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jealous Butcher","offers":[{"title":"LP - Burgundy","offer_id":57589280604491,"sku":"R2466-4058","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":57589304295755,"sku":"R2466-2221","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2026-06-16T110843.517.jpg?v=1781604531"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_3cd72b8c_thumbnail_4096_5554c267-8817-4bd3-aa7d-790dd22d4261.jpg?v=1726297352","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/johanna-samuels.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}