Alcopop! Records (label)
13 September 2024 (released)
11 September 2024
Indie rockers hailing from Birmingham, Johnny Foreigner release their brand new album ‘How To Be Hopeful’ on 13th September 2024. This is their 6th studio album and, will be released through Alcopop! Records, cosigned by their Japanese label Shore&Woods.
The band, originally a trio, have been together for nearly 2 decades. Formed in 2005, they changed bass players a year later and, between 2007 and 2016, released 5 albums and 7 EP’s. Since 2012, they have been a four-piece, with the band consisting of: Alexei Berrow (guitar and lead vocals), Kelly Parker (bass and lead vocals), Junior Elvis Washington Laidley (drums) and Lewes Herriot (guitar).
Now, in 2024, Johnny Foreigner presents us with 12 tracks of pure chaos. Hurtling into warring guitar melodies and harmonics on their opener, ‘Roisin Does Advice Now’, they have an abundance of riotous energy ready to unleash. ‘The Blazing World’ has a pop-punk streak and they come close to one of the greatest pop-punk bands of all-time through their lyrics. As Kelly sings “and that’s about the time I walked away from him” sung in the same rhythm as “and that's about the time she walked away from me” by Blink-182’s on ‘What’s My Age Again?’.
As much as they are fully immersed in hard-spinning, careening rock, they have slower and more impassioned moments on this album we consider worth noting. Altogether subdued and delicately laden with spindly guitar riffs, ‘Museum of Useless Things’ marks an opposing sound to their raucous rock. We found this on ‘Okay 1 More!’, which is soft to start and slowly builds into an electrifying alternative-meets-electronic dance track by the end. ‘A Sea To Scream At’ is a combination of the highs and lows on this album, which is immediately followed by the most sentimental and touching song on the record ‘Emily and Alex’.
‘How To Be Hopeful’ was created out of the aftermath of the pandemic. With themes we can all relate to, this album is “a perfect soundtrack” to put on whatever mood you're in. If you find yourself caught up in matters of the heart or a heated situation at work, we recommend you “start hanging out with some new songs” by Johnny Foreigner immediately!
Tracklist:
1. Roisin Does Advice Now
2. The Blazing World
3. What The Alexei
4. Museum of Useless Things
5. Orc Damage.
6. Okay 1 More!
7. This Is A Joke
8. Dark Tetris.
9. Their Shining Path
10. A Sea To Scream At
11. Emily and Alex
12. We Build This City
