Josh Berwanger has carved out a career by crafting tuneful, infectious songs, whether as a member of the Kansas City-area band the Anniversary or under the one-word umbrella for his solo guise, Berwanger. Witness “Friday Night”, the new single from Watching a Garden Die, the singer-songwriter’s latest album, which arrives 28 June.
Cut from the classic mold of power pop, “Friday Night” perfectly captures the anxiety of loneliness, the restlessness of seeking intimacy and its creator’s ability to turn (self) defeat into an anthemic meditation on isolation.
“I would say the two most upbeat songs on this new album are the previous single ‘Bad Vibrations’ and this new one,” Berwanger says. “Brian (Klein, bass) and Janko (drums) have been collecting toys, adult figures [cough, cough] for most of our lives and thought it would be a fun video to showcase some of them. They range from the cool toys you use to get from fast food joints in the ’80s to some ’70s, ’80s, ’90s figures and on to a few companies that are making great stuff today like AmokeTime and there’s even a Slimy Sean doll by Retrobrand and Retrobrand does amazing work! So, which of these figures did you have?”
Berwanger’s new album, Watching a Garden Die, arrives 28 June. “Friday Night” arrives 31 May and may be pre-saved here.