Patric Johnston can play the piano, and he doesn’t care who knows it.
His new record, Distracted, is his longest project since 2016’s Old Friends New Friends, back when he was still coming into his sound with lyric-heavy, mostly-acoustic music. Though his musicianship was still on display back then, it wasn’t nearly as underlined as his unique vocal delivery and lyrical thoughtfulness.
With 2018’s Castoff EP, he started going in a new direction: an increasingly R&B-ish approach that was still distinctly singer-songwriter. The lead single, “Gold,” grooved and falsettoed its way into my head and stayed there for about a month straight (it’s very possible that I contributed 10,000 of its 200,000 Spotify streams). The swaggering electric piano line in that song made two things obvious:
- He has a keyboard.
- He’s not afraid to use it.
Now it’s 2019, and the long-haired, soulful singer-songwriter has unleashed his full-fledged talent all over the five songs that make up Distracted, all of which are largely harmonically driven by piano, organ, or electric piano (or all three). Veins of blues-rock guitar lines, folk-inspired lyricism, and R&B melodies are tied together with swung drum beats that are unabashedly groovy.
The EP opens with “Honey,” kicking listeners off with what is essentially a buffet of the things that make Patric’s music so unique: a filthy drum groove, smooth vocals that are perfectly layered, a few tastefully placed jazz chords, and a ridiculous electric piano solo that lets you know he’s better at music than you.
Oh, and a killer EP-opening line.
Honey it’s a good thing,
it’s a good thing you’re not with me for my money.
The third song on the record (we’ll get to the second song later), “Fantasy,” has more of that easy-listening swagger. Lyrically, the song does some heartbreaking, intricate, personal storytelling (which we’re all about here at Two Story Melody) in the verses, interspersed with a relatable, easily-singable chorus. Musically, it’s pretty sparse and simple, besides the fact that the chorus is in a different key than the rest of the song, uplifting what is the most compelling refrain on the EP. And, most importantly, three of the dirtiest piano solos ever season the song with an effortless skill, giving you a look into an alternate universe where John Mayer chose piano instead of guitar.
The fourth song, “Xs”, is almost entirely driven by a good ol’ fashioned piano, swinging along in a cool 6/8 while Patric reflects on the state of his relationships with his family and ex-girlfriends. Like “Fantasy,” he makes sure to not let more than two minutes pass before he reminds you that applause-inducing piano solos are fun and easy for him.
The fifth song, “Take What You Want”, is the only time he takes a step away from the piano bench, letting his vocal croon and lyricism do all the hard work. The chorus feels like one of those “Alright everybody, sing this with me!” moments at a concert, anthemic and singable as the “na na na nanananas” in “Hey Jude”, waning into the perfect end to the EP.
And of course, I guess I have to mention the second song, “Carmercial.” This one cracks me up.
Showing off a pinpoint self-awareness, the song is titled mockingly because of what it sounds like; the swampy, stomp-and-clap, rock and roll backdrop for a Chevy Tahoe commercial. The chorus begs the song to be titled “Too Hot to Handle,” but Patric’s always one step ahead and denies it the satisfaction. He knows the song was meant to be played while a four-wheel-drive SUV drives onscreen through a dirt road somewhere in the mountains, and the thing is, he’ll probably end up with a good chunk of sync money for it. It’s intriguing that he included it on the record – almost jokingly, it seems – and didn’t just license it right off the bat, but it is a really solid song, proof that Johnston has the skill to write where the money is if he has to.
So yeah, if you take one thing away from the record, let it be this: Patric Johnston is ridiculously talented as a piano player, singer, and writer. He crosses genre lines with grace, and seems to be having a lot of fun making music and telling stories. Distracted is just a five-song window into what he can do, and you should get on the bandwagon before he inevitably blows up.
