Xtra Mile Recordings will release Johnny Lloyd’s Low Fidleity Vol. 2 on 6 March 2020 via digital download.
Preorder and pre-save the album here.
The second volume of material will pick-up exactly where its counterpart left off and will shine a light on further unknown treasures from Johnny’s songwriting vaults. The lead single and entry-point for this collection is a new version of the euphoric ‘Running Wild’, a firm fan favourite that was originally released on Johnny’s Eden EP back in 2017. This previously unheard demo is bolstered with a crashing syncopated drum beat and a rawness of vocal that capture the track’s impassioned manifestation, whilst hinting at the dawning realisation of a turning point in Johnny’s career. Listen to ‘Running Wild (Alternative Version)’ below.
“‘Running Wild’ was written one night after my friend and artist Angry Dan sent me a drum loop,” says Johnny. “I had been working on the chorus but the beat just brought it together. It felt new and uplifting and is still my favourite song of mine.”
With material dating back from 2014 to 2019, Low Fidelity Vol.2 includes 20 further previously unheard and unreleased demos, rarities and alternative versions of Johnny’s work. While Johnny’s official studio output during this time may have been notably reserved, the vast catalogue of material to pore over here casts a new light on what was actually a highly creative and prolific writing period for the artist. The tracks were all recorded off-the-cuff and in one take to a BOSS 8-track recorder, which Johnny has owned since his teens. As such, the results here capture the very moment of some Johnny’s creative brainwaves and preserve those bright initial sparks for listeners to tune into.
As Johnny reflects: “All these songs came as fast as I could record them. It wasn’t about finding the perfect take, just getting the idea down and moving on. I’ve always found that’s where the best stuff happens, when it’s immediate.” Avid followers of Johnny’s may recognise a number of the titles in the mix here already. Rarities such as ‘Could You Love Another’ and ‘Beautiful People’ have been cropping-up in Johnny’s live sets since 2014, whereas attendees of the 2019 UK acoustic tour will recognise the haunting ‘Crash Site’ which debuted at those shows. Alongside the aforementioned ‘Running Wild’, the collection also brings forth an alternative version of the Pilgrims EP classic ‘Nowhere to Go’ (re-titled here as ‘We Got All the Time in the World (Demo)’).
But there’s also a wealth of unheard material for fans to explore too. From the frenetic punk outburst of ‘Playing the Clown’ to the East Village folk of ‘Picture of a Century’ and the spacious Lennon-esque piano balladry of ‘Down in an Aeroplane’, it’s expansive listening throughout; low in fidelity, high in reward.
Tracklisting
01 Running Wild (Demo)
02 Playing the Clown (Demo)
03 Could You Love Another (Demo)
04 Picture of a Century (Demo)
05 Crash Site (Demo)
06 Circus Master / Time Traveller (Demo)
07 Beautiful People (Demo)
08 Day Glow (Demo)
09 Come Awake (Demo)
10 Down in an Aeroplane (Demo)
11 Hang the Hangman (Demo)
12 How Much Is Too Much (Demo)
13 Living a Lie (Demo)
14 The Drum (Demo)
15 Traveller (Demo)
16 Living in the City (Demo)
17 People Got To Know (Demo)
18 Perfect World (Demo)
19 Through the Eyes of a Child (Demo)
20 We Got All the Time in the World (Demo)
Low Fidelity: Volume 2 continues a year of fervent activity for Johnny Lloyd, which began with the announcement of his debut solo album Next Episode Starts In 15 Seconds at the beginning of 2019. Releasing the album that same year, Johnny has taken the album to the fields of established UK festivals such as Glastonbury and 2000 Trees and even as far as We Are Todos Festival in Mexico City.