FEATURE: Singer-Songwriter Carissa Johnson Finds A New Direction On Latest Single “Time, Only Time”

Indie singer-songwriter Carissa Johnson never seems to be in one place for long. The New York-based, Boston-born artist was most recently living in California, after driving across the country in 2020 for a tour and landing in Los Angeles.

Her new single “Time, Only Time” is a byproduct of her nomadic experience. She shares:

“This song came about during the beginning of lockdown in 2020 – I had driven cross country from Boston to LA right before it all happened. I drove to Malibu every day and this is a song about that experience. Everything was so unknown and there was nowhere else to really go but to the water. I found comfort in driving my car to new places every day and exploring the coast on my own. It put a lot of things in perspective and through those long drives I was able to process a lot of emotions and feel hopeful that things would eventually change for the better.”

With a revolving chorus of “I woke up this morning with no intention of a destination”, the new single is an anthem for those looking for a change in their lives, and finding the courage to make a leap.

Inspired by the subtle electronica-infused textures of late-’90s pop, “Time, Only Time” is an inspiring and nostalgic offering. Nada Surf and Portishead trickle their way into the soundscape, while more ’00s nods to Metric and Yukon Blonde come through the synth-rock progressions.

Alongside the new single, Johnson has shared the accompanying music video, which was shot during her time in San Diego. Directed by her friend Melissa Des, the music video plays into the theme of new beginnings.

Carissa elaborates, “We went to a handful of spots before sunrise and wanted to capture the dark blue sky for most of the shots. They had the vision for an abstract, flowing, free feeling video that encompassed what the song was about – driving to the ocean every day when everything was closed and feeling a little lost, trying to find your way. We both had visions of a darker, fluid video with a lot of nature”.

Watch it below, and read the latest Q&A from Carissa just past:

Moving across the country is a huge change. What was going through your mind when you were driving from Boston to L.A?

I was on tour, so I was pretty ecstatic and in the flow – it took about a week and a half to get from Boston to the west coast. I took the southern route, since it was February and got to see some of my favorite places as well as some new ones. I was excited to go on a retreat to clear my mind a little. I just needed some time away and to get clear on things, so I was excited to have a chunk of time I set aside to do literally nothing.

Do you feel your sound has evolved since living in New York?

That’s been a big change but it’s been very welcoming. I go to a lot more shows now and walk a lot more, and the change of pace has really helped me find a new flow I don’t think I’ve accessed before. I feel like I’ve been able to reach a new place with my songwriting too since my perspective has changed, and I just go about a lot of things in my life way different now.

What was the concept behind the music video for “Time Only Time”?

My friend Melissa Des filmed the music video for me in San Diego CA. We went to a handful of spots before sunrise and wanted to capture the dark blue sky for most of the shots. They had the vision for an abstract, flowing, free feeling video that encompassed what the song was about – driving to the ocean every day when everything was closed and feeling a little lost, trying to find your way. We both had visions of a darker, fluid video with a lot of nature.

There’s a fun ‘90s edge to the track – what are some inspirations to your sound?

I love the 90’s. That decade of music has definitely been an influence! For this track I experimented with some new things I haven’t done before. We put vocoder on my voice and used some new synths. I remember wanting the end to sound like a video game “game over” type of sound, and to feel a little hopeless yet hopeful too. I was listening to a lot of Metric, Yukon Blonde, Nada Surf, and Caroline Rose around the time I wrote it. By the time it was being recorded I was going through a phase where all I listened to was synth-pop. So we probably just mixed all those things together subconsciously!

Got anything in the works for 2023?

New music coming this Spring!