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Beautiful Stranger

Martin Johnson announces new album

A leader of iconic mid – 2000s pop band Boys Like Girls announces his forthcoming album ‘Dog Years’ dropping March 5. His new band The Night Game was founded in 2016. The group is composed of Johnson and multi-instrumentalist Kirin J. Callinan. They released their debut single, “The Outfield”, in April 2017, followed by the release of their self-titled debut studio album, The Night Game, in September 2018. 

‘Beautiful Stranger’ is Johnson’s latest release and one of the tracks that will find their home on his forthcoming album ‘Dog Years’. It’s 80s inspired love song with punchy drums and dreamy keyboards. Even though Johnson has written and produced for various artists, including Avril Lavigne, Daughtry, Jason Derulo, Christina Perri, Gavin Degraw, Hot Chelle Rae, himself he’s not a fan of performing songs that are not his own creation. 

“I struggle telling stories that aren’t my own. I hadn’t successfully finished a love song since the emo ship sunk, and was slowly sinking in the LA dating quicksand…emotionless, clinging to songs about nostalgia and regret, never about love…most certainly not promising someone they would never be alone.”

“For me, it plays on the idea that the most insane things are all part of a bigger picture - we’re tiny specks of dust in this universe, one minuscule part of something massive. I think part of that is realised as the song unravels. This world doesn’t owe me anything and it certainly doesn’t revolve around me. I can’t really think of a better example, but humans are like Venn diagrams and the stuff you do solely in your part of the circle has a knock-on effect with the circles that you overlap with. That’s what this song is for me, it’s life-affirming and it’s grounding - it’s me making a choice to contribute and see the colour.”

Joey Maxwell