SOUL SURVIVOR

posted in: Artist Features • Features • Rock

What do you do when you fall in love with a girl online, only to find out after months of phone calls and IMs that she’s stolen someone else’s identity? If you’re Jakob Johnson, you turn to the redemptive powers of pop. Johnson, writing under the moniker The Record Life, spins heartache into winsome pop confection. In fact, his songs are so upbeat it’s easy to forget you’re singing along to lyrics about burning your ex’s love letters.

Last year Johnson flew out to L.A. for a meeting with a record label, and after missing his flight back to Arizona, decided to stay on permanently and focus on his songwriting. The results of his efforts can be heard on The Souldier EP, The Record Life’s first official release. Meaty, keyboard-driven melodies call to mind Ben Folds, but Johnson’s earnest vocal stylings and whimsical arrangements make The Record Life also reminiscent of Train ”if Train were fronted by a much cooler indie kid … with better hair.

Johnson’s got his badge in heartbreak ”now it remains to be seen if he can continue to convert experience into powerful pop singles.

We think this souldier’s up for the job.