No music lover wants their favorite bands to break up or go on a long hiatus but sometimes it leads to beautiful beginnings. While there is a strong possibility Boys Like Girls may still release new music in the future, singer Martin Johnson is killing it right now with his latest project, The Night Game.
The Night Game “personifies the emphasis on sports, sex, and the undying quest for the American dream,” explains Johnson. “The lights are on. It’s primetime. There’s an element of danger. It feels like anything can happen in the moment.”
Something is happening, indeed. New track, “Beautiful Stranger” – set to be featured on his forthcoming album, Dog Years, out March 5 – encapsulates all things sexy, evocative and 80’s-inspired. Save this one for those night drives.
Inspiration didn’t always come so effortlessly though. “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,” shared Johnson.
“That person just didn’t exist for me. so I let the song sit on a hard drive half finished for years. Co-producer Brandon Paddock and I were sitting in Burbank listening to old songs starts trying to catch lightning in a bottle in the 11th hour. At that time, I had caught a glimmer of hope in my personal life and had met a girl in Nashville who inspired me to pack my bags and put the house on the market. The almost 10 year streak of inability to write a love song had been broken, and ‘Dog Years’ was finally complete.”
“I’d love for listeners to be transported into this world. This is an extension of my reality and truth. If people can relate to or feel that at any level, then we’re really getting somewhere.”
Mission accomplished!
Listen to “Beautiful Stranger” below:
