Little Rock, Arkansas indie-pop project joan, aka Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford, are dreaming—”lucid dreaming,” that is.
The two just launched their latest single, “lucid dreaming,” a glowing pop tune that won’t leave you snoozing, but will transport you out of this world. “Don’t go away/I’m hanging onto every word you say/You got me feeling like I’m in a daze/This can’t be real/There’s no way that I’m awake cause/You got me stuck in an alternate reality,” they sing.
Beyond this track, joan has offered an array of upbeat indie-pop works with ethereal vocals and synths for days—a sound that is distinctly their own. Offerings such as “eyes,” “alibi,” “face,” and more are set to appear on their forthcoming LP, this won’t last forever, out on September 25 via Photo Finish Records.
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As they ready themselves to release their sophomore album, Benjamin Thomas and Rutherford alike, are staying true to the name of their record and savoring each moment. Whether it’s enjoying daily family activities, tapping into new harmonies in the studio, or living it up with their “dad hobbies” of golf and woodworking, these big and little moments won’t stick around…so enjoy them.
idobi Radio had the chance to chat with joan about their upcoming record, their dazzling new single, and the duo’s own lucid dreams. Check out the song and interview below.
What does the phrase this won’t last forever mean to you in the context of your album title?
Alan Benjamin Thomas: For me, I’d say that, superglue, our first album, was right after we [had] both of our daughters. And I think the lens of life was shifting. We’re not just husbands, we’re dads. We’re also doing music for a living. What does that look like? A lot of life happened.
And then I think when Steven came to me with this title idea, and we kind of started thinking about the songs that we had so far and the songs that we had to come. It was the same lens shift, but now we had sons, too. I think both of us started looking from a family standpoint of [how] this is a really beautiful spot we’re in with our kids and our wives and where our families are at. When you start to really get existential with it and think about it…it’s not lasting forever. It’s this weird juxtaposition of this joyful new life and dynamic shift, then at the same time, there’s this accompanying sadness with it, too.
Like, you think of your parents, if they’re still alive, and you’re like, “I love spending time with my mom and dad, they’re not gonna be here forever.” So, it’s like this weird joy and grief, happiness, sadness thing, and that’s the human experience in a nutshell.
Steven Rutherford: What’s beautiful about the title is it has stuck with us, and it’s haunted me just because I can’t get the idea out of my head. Whether it’s good or bad, it literally won’t last forever. You’ll get out of it if it’s bad or [you should] try to take advantage of it if it’s good.
The release of “lucid dreaming” follows up a series of amazing tracks such as “alibi” and “magic,” among others. How did you craft this dreamy single?
Rutherford: This is maybe our most pop-forward song—straight up feels like a pop song. We have a big part of us that just loves Max Martin pop. If [the songs] hit right, it’s undeniable. And I think a lot of times, we have to kind of push ourselves to get that. But this one, “lucid dreaming,” came early in the writing process.
Lyrically, it kind of came out to be this kind of half dream state, half real life—you can’t really tell what’s real and what’s not. And we just loved the idea, with the concept of the album, of being in this sort of in-between. A lot of the album feels like [it’s in] an in-between land, and this was a good lyrical case on that one as well. Like, sometimes my life feels like I’m lucid dreaming. I feel like I’m dreaming, but I’m actually feeling these things, and you’re literally here with me, and it never really resolves itself in a cool way. I like that [notion of], “Maybe I am dreaming.”
Have you ever experienced lucid dreaming before?
Benjamin Thomas: The closest thing I probably have had of lucid dreaming is I once had a dream that I was dating Taylor Swift. And I woke up and it was so real that I had like butterflies, like the kind of first-date butterflies in your stomach. I fell back asleep, and I entered right back into the dream where I left off. And it wasn’t even wishful thinking! It was probably a decade plus ago.
If you fell asleep tonight and could lucid dream… what would you both want to see or do in your dream?
Rutherford: I wish I could be in the room while we make music together or play live together, and like experience it from the audience’s perspective— just experiencing it for what it is. I think that’d be pretty cool and something I will never be able to do [in real life].
Benjamin Thomas: Mine’s darker. I don’t want to watch how I die, but I want to be at my funeral. I think it would be really interesting and like kind of Scrooge / Christmas Carol. I think that’s such an interesting and beautiful story. The thought of being at my own funeral and hearing the people, like, assuming that they outlive me, obviously, hearing what they really think of me. I think I know what the people, at least the people I care about the most, think of me. But it might be enlightening on how to be a better person now.
Check out “lucid dreaming” and pre-order your copy of this won’t last forever here.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
