Introducing: Basement Revolver: 'Johnny' (Single)
The first thing I thought when I heard 'Johnny' was that the song would make a great soundtrack to an artsy indie film. Perhaps one that could be set in Basement Revolver's home town of Hamilton, Ontario. You know the ending. The female lead is betrayed by her male counterpart and leaves the city. Nostalgia is rife as she boards a coach alone, with just one back pack that hardly has room to carry anything essential. She stares out of the window in oversized sunglasses that hide the true emotion behind her eyes. Brooding and contemplative, we get a shot of a badge or pin on her customised leather jacket that is a bittersweet reminder of the obscure band they both shared a liking for.
The camera follows her gaze out of the window, past her own reflection, onto a shimmering lake where it then pans out to trace the shapes of the distant figures of looming skylines in the background. The camera angle then gazes into a cloudless, clear blue sky to capture a poignant shot of the sun elusively sparkling. In warmth and hope? Or in a lonely, "remember, the universe is bigger than you" kind of way? We never know. The end credits roll too soon. And 'Johnny' is still playing us out...
Chrisy Hurn's vocals radiate in waves of purity, supported by the drone of fuzzy shoegaze inflected arrangements, where Chrisy is joined by Nimal Agalawatte (bass/synth) and Brandon Munro (drums). This style of instrumentation adds scuzzy and whimisical layers to the naive tone and the poppy, yet melancholy, sing-song melody lead by Chrisy's vocals. 'Johnny' is massively appealing, but remains niche, avoiding mass mainstream appeal.
Words of Karla Harris
'Basement Revolver' are set to release their debut EP in July, 'Johnny' is the first track taken from it. 'Johnny is also available on a name your price basis over at bandcamp.