A radiant feel-good love song, “Molly Haskell” conjures up the classics as Elijah Johnston revels in a moment of passion, connection, warmth, and wonder.
Stream: “Molly Haskell” – Elijah Johnston
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Sometimes all we really want to do is bask in the throes of a good-natured love song; to sit back and smile, and let music hit our ears the way sunshine does the face. The beauty of Elijah Johnston’s new single lies in that simple, sweet moment of bliss: A radiant feel-good love song, “Molly Haskell” conjures up the classics as the Athens, Georgia singer/songwriter revels in a moment of passion, connection, warmth, and wonder.
Remember summer, how it came and went?
Had the whole world in the palm of my hands
There’s no need to decode what it meant to me
Ice skating, I wish you were here
Brand new beanie sitting on your ears
Watch your breathing as it floats up next to mine
There’s cobwebs covering
all the heartstrings that I have
I’m cynical enough to know when I should be glad
It’s not so hard to tell you all the feelings I have
It’s not something I should run away from
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Molly Haskell,” Elijah Johnston’s second single of 2021 (following February’s “Greatest Hits”). A self-described “emo singer-songwriter,” “aspiring popstar,” and “recovering lo-fi addict” (per his Bandcamp and Facebook pages) whose music most resembles a kind of folky, alternative mix, Johnston’s art is both meaningful and fun to play on repeat. The artist – whose sense of humor can be (admittedly irresponsibly) summed up by the title of one of his songs, 2019’s “Sultan of Schwinn” – takes a second to breathe easy and be happy on his latest offering. A catchy, cheerful three-minute tune calling to mind the classic bubblegum pop sound of early Beatles records, “Molly Haskell” is a sunny, effortless indulgence – a tribute to those special relationship memories we cherish for a lifetime.
“‘Molly Haskell’ is an esteemed film critic I had to read in my early morning film classes during college,” Johnston tells Atwood Magazine. “I used to fall asleep during those classes after spending the whole night talking on the phone to the girl I was with at the time, so in some sense I wanted to apologize to Molly for having ignored her great insights.”
Joining Johnston on the song are producer/bassist Tommy Trautwein (Well Kept, Wanderwild, Hotel Fiction) and drummer/brother Gideon Johnston (Hotel Fiction). Johnston credits them for bringing his vision to life: “Production wise, my bandmates helped me see the riffs and melodies made more sense when played fast and with energy,” he explains, “and we kept it minimal while adding plenty of treats I love: Tommy’s cowboy guitar, Gideon’s handclaps, and the beautiful third harmony part from our friend Hannah really seal the deal for me on this being one of our favorites!” All this and more helped transform the song from what he calls its “folky first draft” to the “peppy 1960s tribute” we hear today.
Molly Haskell in the morning time
Big words are glazing over my eyes
I’ll watch a movie, then I’ll fall right back to sleep
Remember autumn, how it came and went?
I never wanna see the money I spent
What’s a dollar if I’m rich and far from you?
There’s cobwebs covering all the heartstrings that I have
I’m cynical enough to know when I should be glad
It’s not so hard to tell you all the feelings I have
It’s not something I should run away from
Whether you’re in love or toying with the idea of it, “Molly Haskell” is sure to put a smile on your face – even if its bittersweet lyrics remind us that being in love also means making yourself vulnerable to heartbreak. The beauty of such a connection is that it exposes us to a wide array of feelings; meanwhile, the beauty of this song is that it’s not overly complicated or overdone. Between his lilting vocals and his gentle, gliding guitar work, Elijah Johnston has us spellbound: Stream “Molly Haskell” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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:: stream/purchase “Molly Haskell” here ::
Stream: “Molly Haskell” – Elijah Johnston
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