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Elijah Johnston To Release “Stupid Soul” & Tour
Elijah Johnston will release Stupid Soul on June 20, 2025 via Strolling Bones Records. The 12-track set was produced by Tommy Trautwein at The Zoo in Athens, GA and is the follow up to Johnston’s 2023 Strolling Bones debut Hometown Vampire. Sometimes sharply witty and sometimes achingly plainspoken, Stupid Soul conveys big, complicated ideas with grace and generosity. Whether the Atlanta-based songwriter is singing about young people struggling with their own bodies or baby bands trying to find their sound or anybody weathering football season in a college town, Johnston writes songs about figuring things out.
Supported by arrangements that ingeniously blend Beach Boys pomp, girl group harmonies, Rundgren melodicism, and Athens, GA jangle, his lyrics pose questions rather than present answers. It’s an approach that leaves space for listeners to find a little bit of themselves in there. Daring and vulnerable, Stupid Soul is not concerned with overcoming demons or breaking bad habits. It’s more about living with those dark thoughts and finding sparks of joy in other people – a lover, a friend, or even his bandmates.
Paste Magazine premiered the album standout “I Know What You Did Last Summer” this week. Johnston says “This song uses the campy 90s teen horror classic of the same name as a framework to explore teenage feelings of shame and angst that linger with us into adulthood, shaping the way we view our bodies and our relationship to moral standards.”
Magnet Magazine previously shared Johnston’s relentlessly catchy first single, “Ideas” as well. “I got a lot of bad habits I can’t break,” he confesses. “I got these demons that I can’t shake. You’re one of ‘em.” As soon as he wrote the song, Johnston realized it was “essentially the mission statement for the record. It’s intentionally open-ended. It’s based on big-tent sounds like ‘90s alt-rock, classic power-pop, and old-school songwriter tricks.”
On Stupid Soul, Elijah Johnston is joined by Gideon Johnston, Drew Beskin, Tommy Trautwein, as well as Aidan Hill of Hotel Fiction on a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Valentine’s Day,” and Jordan Reynolds of Rose Hotel on the song “Everything We Hold Dear.” Johnston wanted to spotlight everyone’s unique contributions and emphasize their particular dynamic as a band. In other words, he wanted it to sound like a record only these people could make, and their chemistry comes through in every song. Johnston says, “Even though it’s just one person’s name, it’s super collaborative. People have asked me, Why don’t you just come up with a band name? And the only real answer I have is that it’s too late. We’re too far down the track.”
They recorded songs at Trautwein’s home studio in the Normaltown neighborhood of Athens, a relaxed space where they could take their time tinkering with the songs. It was summer in a college town, so it was hot and humid but “nobody was around. Athens in the summertime feels like you’re living on Mars. Everybody’s gone. So there were no distractions.”
Elijah Johnston has announced his initial live performances in support of Stupid Soul. To celebrate the night of the album release, he will appear at the legendary 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA during the town’s annual ATHFEST on June 20. Please see live dates, with more to be added, below.
Elijah Johnston’s Stupid Soul will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, and green color vinyl. It is available for pre-order NOW via STROLLING BONES RECORDS.
Stupid Soul Track Listing:
1. Leonard
2. Ideas
3. Keep it to Yourself
4. Baby Bands
5. Oxygen
6. I Know What You Did Last Summer
7. Days Like These
8. Instant Replay
9. Everything We Hold Dear (ft. Jordan Reynolds of Rose Hotel)
10. Valentine’s Day
11. Double Fault
12. Football Season
Elijah Johnston Live:
June 20 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt
August 3 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
August 4 – Washington, DC – Pie Shop
August 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Purgatory
August 6 – Lowell, MA – Thirsty First
August 9 – Charleston, SC – Royal American
August 20 – Chattanooga, TN – JJ’s Bohemia
August 21 – Louisville, KY – Whirling Tiger
August 22 – Chicago, IL – The Burlington
August 23 – Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel
August 25 – Nashville, TN – Drkmttr
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