In the Middle of the Mystery with Alex Johnston

I sat down for coffee with Alex Johnston to discuss his newest musical endeavor, a full-length album titled “No Room For Form”. Johnston is a familiar face in the Everett community, whether as a Lyft driver, a musician at local venues, or as a beer and coffee connoisseur at the Independent or Silver Cup.

Lately, Alex has been busy putting together 11 tracks of new music that he is hoping to release later this year. This album is a marked step forward in his music technically and conceptually, and he has been mastering the tracks for the last few weeks.

“Someone once asked me what kind of music I make,” Johnston told me. “And if I had to pin it down I would say ‘slow’”.

While this might be a decent literal description of the time signature, Alex’s music goes far beyond such a simple characterization.

Listen to Johnston’s newest single, Horizon Hides

His style takes the listener away from their current world and steps them onto an ethereal plane. The flowing, methodical nature of the piano combines with sweet and drawn out vocals to whisk the listener into a state of meditation and contemplation. Layers of sound fill the songs to the brim with movement and create a depth that a listener can sink into.

Alex, just as likely to quote Buddhist philosophy as he is to quote the Beatles, says this is purposeful.

He started writing these songs at a moment of great transition in his life, and had been considering loss and change and the concept of grief itself. In his confusion Alex found peace in the bigger picture, and the way that it was all connected.

“If I lose somebody I might find myself using some of their mannerisms, so in that way they are carried on through me. So there are no true losses, only continuations onto something else. It’s all just life, and we are all floating in the middle of the mystery.”

The music and the lyrics are an attempt to translate this feeling into something more tangible. Maybe he states it best in the song Horizon Hides:

I am pulled in by the gravity of every possibility.

There are many possibilities to be discovered in his music. It can be listened to intently, or played in the background. It can help you reflect, or help you escape. I suggest enjoying it on a rainy afternoon with a cup of coffee, sitting back and letting the rhythm relax you.

The album art for “No Room For Form” // Courtesy of Alex Johnston

In the end, it’s about appreciating all things, including the slow and soft and especially the complexity of the little details all around you. The first single from “No Room For Form,” Horizon Hides, is out on Spotify now along with the rest of Alex’s music. Keep an eye out for the full album when it drops this spring.