IPSWICH chameleonic songwriter Damien J. Johnson has gone back to basics for his band’s debut album, capturing nine original tracks live and largely untouched in an Ipswich studio.
The Damien J. Johnson Band, released on September 11, brings together Johnson on guitar and vocals, Jim Bopalouie on bass and Logan Senjov on drums for a collection spanning country, blues and roots.
Recorded at Studio O’Keefe in Ipswich, the album deliberately avoids many of the production techniques commonplace in modern recording.
There were no click tracks guiding the musicians, no reliance on extensive overdubs and no attempt to digitally polish every rough edge.
Instead, the band played together, recording tracks live in single takes and reacting to each other as they would on stage.
For Johnson, those imperfections are part of the point.
“I wanted this record to sound like a band playing together, rather than a collection of individual parts assembled in a computer,” Johnson said.
“There are little imperfections, little moments where the band reacts to each other, and that’s exactly what I wanted to capture.
“Those are the things that make a recording feel alive … and more importantly, human.”
The nine-track record includes previously released singles Lappin’, Wacol Station and I Don’t Listen To The Radio.
The songs have already helped Johnson’s music reach audiences beyond Ipswich, with Lappin’ securing an Apple Music editorial playlist placement and Wacol Station attracting attention from ABC Country.
His most recent single, I Don’t Listen To The Radio, was released through streaming services and Triple J Unearthed before also being added to an Apple Music editorial playlist.
While the recording method may look backwards for inspiration, Johnson’s songwriting remains firmly planted in contemporary Australia.
Across the album he explores people, places, relationships, memories and everyday life through the familiar sounds of country, blues and roots music.
Place is particularly important to Johnson’s songwriting; something reflected in a title such as Wacol Station and an approach grounded in the communities and characters around him.
The album marks another step for the Ipswich-based songwriter, guitarist and vocalist after steadily building an audience through live performances across South East Queensland and further afield.
His solo work draws heavily from traditional country, blues and roots storytelling, while the formation of The Damien J. Johnson Band has allowed those songs to develop a different energy on stage and in the studio.
Rather than chasing a perfectly manufactured sound for their first full-length release, the trio wanted listeners to hear the interaction between the musicians.
The result is a debut record made in Ipswich, featuring an Ipswich songwriter telling Australian stories and a band prepared to sound like exactly what it is: a band playing together in a room.
