By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Just like peaceful vibes on a warm summer day, Good Posture’s debut EP ‘Changin” comes in quick – a little breezy, yet still simple and enjoyable.
Out now via Chicago label Feeltrip Records, Good Posture – the moniker of UK-born multi-instrumentalist Joel Randles – sticks to the fundamentals of catchy guitar pop and passes by like a brewing summer thunderstorm.
In contrast to earlier work, Randles groomed these songs with the idea of live performance in mind. Lyrically, ‘Changin” deals with the subject of rapid (you guessed it) changes in adulthood and scenery and the maturity that comes along with that.
So far, Good Posture has been compared to other breakout artists like Connan Mockasin, Boy Pablo, Jawny and Gus Dapperton – and with good reason.
The Music Bugle had the chance to talk with Randles about the record and more, which you can check out below.
Music Bugle – What was your goal for the ‘Changin” EP?
Joel Randles – It was my return to releasing music. I hadn’t put anything out for like, 3 years and I wanted this EP to be like this little snippet of what I’d been doing in those last 3 years and to show the world that Good Posture is back!
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your particular style of music?
Joel Randles – I like how accessible it is for anyone to get started in this genre of music. You just need a computer with DAW and you can start producing. I also love the heavy 80s influence in indie pop today and being able to go back to this generation of sounds and take a lot of influence.
Music Bugle – How did you decide upon the name “Good Posture”?
Joel Randles – I was just about to move to Paris and I had just written my first releases and I needed a name so I could upload them to Bandcamp or something and a friend at the time had sent me a zine they had made where they illustrated how to get good posture and maintain it and I was like, “I have terrible posture, I’ll name the project ‘good posture,'” so its like this small thing reminded all the time to sit up straight. It’s that and I also just liked the way it sounded and that maybe you can’t really guess what the type of music would be like just from the name.
Music Bugle – What is your favorite instrument to play?
Joel Randles – Probably the piano. I’m practicing a lot with it these days. On my record though, I do play everything, but I can’t say I can play all these instruments well, just enough to scrape out a song.
Music Bugle – What made you want to put out “Changin'” and “Last Time” as singles?
Joel Randles – Both are quite different from each other in a way. “Changin'” is this more slow ballad and “Last Time” is this straight-up dreamy pop song and I thought it would be quite cool to put these two different-sounding songs out. I also had the idea for both the music videos for these songs in my head and the songs fit with what I wanted to do, so they just naturally became the singles.
Music Bugle – Does social media help or hurt musicians?
Joel Randles – Helps the project grow, destroys your mental well-being.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Joel Randles – I’m mainly listening to new music. I had my whole phase of really diving into old stuff, but now I just like a new well-produced pop record. To name a few, I love Porches, Westerman, Her’s, Tops, Slow Pulp, basically a lot of indie pop stuff.
Music Bugle – Where do you go when you need a break?
Joel Randles – I live in a city surrounded by forests, so however cliche it sounds, walking in the nature around here definitely clears the mind.
Music Bugle – What’s something that people might be surprised to know about you?
Joel Randles – That I am from the UK. I started the project in Paris and now, I live in Germany, so people assume I’m either French or German, so when people speak with me, they are always like, “Whoa, your English is so good.” I just say, “Danke.”
Music Bugle – How were you affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Joel Randles – This whole pandemic has affected me immensely like it has for so many, but to keep it more positive, I’ve learnt to be on my own a lot better and that it’s actually a really important thing to be good at.
*Photo Credit – Charlotte Hennrich*
