By Charlie Maybee
San Diego based indie pop musician, Also Joe, is not so interested in making music to be consumed by others, but rather music that fills his soul. That much can be heard on his newest single “Nevermind” which lays back and floats on twangy guitars and a pulsing backbeat.
There’s something personable about the track that invites you in from the first few notes. It feels warm despite being a smaller like he could be playing this right next to you on a couch in your best friend’s apartment. It’s unassuming and generous in spirit, waiting for the perfect moment to swell up and take up more space.
There’s a tenderness to the lyrics also that give the listener an opportunity to enter the song with more ease, “in the end everything will be alright / just give it some time / but how much time?”. Though ending on a question brings up feelings of anxiety, there’s something conversational about it at the same time – as if to say “I’m going through a rough time… will you move through it with me?”. Instead of a lecture where the words are spoken at you in a single direction, Also Joe crafts “Nevermind” in a way that warrants a response – it’s a communal effort.
This is an opportunity to sit in your feelings for a bit without having to traverse a pit of loneliness he’s right there with you to share the load; to share the experience. Reminds me a bit of old African proverb: “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.
“Nevermind” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer, SoundCloud, BandCamp, and YouTube.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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