By: Michelle Vaccaro
October 06, 2021
Johnny Stimson shares his love for “Material Things” on his new track.
The quirky song explains how he uses objects to ward off his loneliness. Even though the lyrics express moments of sadness, the beat and pop culture references give the song an uplifting feel. In the lyrics, Stimson name drops brands and toys like Nike and Tamagotchi that many listeners know fondly. The fun beat adds to the song’s cool nostalgia. The video for “Material Things” gives off a retro vibe with 80’s/90’s style and graphics.
Stimson has his fingerprints all over the track. He wrote, produced and recorded it. He is quoted on Earmilk about his writing process and the meaning behind the song:
I wrote material things as a satire to point out and notice how easy it can be to seek joy in the things around us. I got a Tamagotchi over quarantine and it almost felt like a real friend for a while. Sometimes relationships with people can be hard, so this is a caricature of my occasional desire to just be alone with my video games and guitars. Ultimately, I don’t believe there’s much joy to be found in material things, but this is a song about confusing the dopamine hit of buying stuff with true happiness.
“Material Things” is a song on his new EP entitled Butterflies.
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