Meet The Record Life – the brainchild of 21 year old Jakob Johnson. With a sound influenced in equal parts by his so-called Record Life of listening and playing, Jake’s music represents a marriage of his own musical influences, from Queen’s operatic scope (“Alone In The Atmosphere”), the harmonic melodies (“Step On Your Own”), Elton John’s storytelling warmth (“Not the Same”) and Death Cab for Cutie’s intricate miniaturist pop (“My Lover, the Floodlight”).
“It’s a tribute to all my favorite artists, genres and songs, an homage to each of them,” explains Johnson, who grew up in the tiny western Arizona town of Cave Creek, north of Scottsdale. “I wanted to capture that cumulative feeling I’ve always had from listening to my favorite music.”
Like many musicians before him, Jake was inspired by the genesis of a romantic relationship… the only difference is, in his case, it was with a woman who never existed. During the time he worked on the album, Jake went from sleeping on the dining room floor of a house in Hollywood with eight other people to living in the back seat of his car, but he never gave up.
At about this time, he met a woman on MySpace who claimed she was a professional snowboarder and a fan of his music, offering him a place to stay in L.A. Despite his friends’ skepticism, Jake found himself falling for the girl on the other end of the phone and later learned that he was being deceived by someone who was not who she said she was at all. “She did a number on me,” laughs Jake. “At least 11 of them. And there just so happens to be 11 songs on the record. Go figure.”
The Record Life will release a digital EP on May 12th called The Souldier EP before the full-length debut, Into The Sea Of Something Big, later this year. Check out the video below introducing Jake to find out more about his experience in the studio, songwriting process and upcoming tour plans. Listen up for standout tracks “Not The Same,” “Got Me Good,” and “Step On Your Own” throughout the clip.