Stream: Johanna Samuels, ‘High Tide for One’

Chris Arey on October 27th, 2020

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Johanna Samuels (Photo by Ellyn Jameson)

Native New Yorker and L.A. transplant Johanna Samuels has returned with “High Tide for One,” the first single from her forthcoming album “Excelsior!,” arriving via her new label home Mama Bird Recording Co.

The track features Phoebe Bridgers’ guitarist Harrison Whitford, as well as jazz bassist Garret Lang, drummer Sean Mullins and background vocals by A.O. Gerber and Olivia Kaplan. The ensemble creates a track that feels dreamy and full of wisdom. With slide guitars, delicate piano chords, snare brushes and, of course, Samuels’ comforting voice, “High Tide for One” is a story in itself.

“I wrote this song thinking of Dr. [Christine] Blasey Ford,” Samuels says. “My heart was broken and I reflected on how much scarcity of space and validation in basic experience there is for all female-identifying people. It felt a bit hopeless and I felt like I didn’t want to to speak for a while.”

While “High Tide for One” carries a sense of political rhetoric and, more specifically, the empowerment of women, the song feels rather somber, possessing a seemingly lullaby-like nature.

This is Samuels’ first new music since her 2019 EP, “Have a Good One” which featured “Supposed to Say.” Mama Bird (home to Vetiver, Jenny O. and KERA, among others) will release Samuels’ Sam Evian-produced album in the spring.

||| Stream: “High Tide for One”