From the first few lofi guitar strokes, we were hooked on the new single ‘Far From You’ by singer-songwriter Joe Johnson. There’s something of a vintage timelessness when dealing with the ever-so-lightly produced acoustic songs; they remind us of a simpler, less technology fuelled timed. It’s intangibly romantic.
You can interpret this open folk-pop song in any way you wish, perhaps it makes you think of lost lovers, faraway family members or disconnected friends. In some way, it was the latter of these circumstances that first bore inspiration for Johnson, who lost his friends at a music festival, only to find another fellow lost soul in the crowd. They spent the next few hours together and fostered a profound connection, but once they were reunited with their respective friend groups, they never saw or spoke again. It’s a story from a far-flung time before email or apps or phones even; a cherished memory that can never again be replicated.
As so, Johnson has immortalised this surprising, necessary and ultimately temporary friendship into a song. We kind of hope that the other person finds it.
You can easily find ‘Far From You’ and many more gems in our Folk This Way playlist.
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