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Hometown Vampire

by Elijah Johnston

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1.
SECOND CHANCES There’s second chances for everything I’ve ever done Bad romances, I’ll call them out one by one Perfect timings don’t have to last for very long To know when you miss them that you’re wrong Baby, kiss me in the graveyard Those people all fell in love once, too Why you gotta make it so hard To love like you do? You’re still speaking in an accent You’ve lived down here for a decade or so So why do you still act surprised? When every winter there’s no snow Every time I ask a question I get in trouble again I don’t wanna fight you anymore Why you wanna go to law school? You think you’re gonna get a job that way? Tell the others they can get lost There’s other ways of getting paid You should do whatever feels good Especially when I’m around I’ll say yes to all your ideas The bad ones where we never leave the house Every time I ask a question I get in trouble again I don’t wanna fight you anymore And every time I find an answer I’m disappointed again I don’t wanna fight you anymore There’s second chances for everything I’ve ever done Bad romances, I’ll call them out one by one Perfect timings don’t have to last for very long To know when you miss them that you’re wrong
2.
DREWBIE GOT A HAIRCUT First snow day of the season Gather round the fire at night Build a snowman, why’re you weeping? Couldn’t get that stupid nose right Won’t you give me a new haircut? Drewbie got one and it looks so great Draw a tattoo and make it Sharpie I can’t commit to anything that will stay All my friends are running circles And damn they sound great the whole time I go out and get embarrassed You said you heard it through the grapevine All my friends are running circles And damn they sound great the whole time I went out and got embarrassed You said you heard it through the grapevine
3.
HOMETOWN VAMPIRE Do you wanna trade places? Do you wanna see how I live? I’ll try to be elated I’ll try to find something to give I’m seeing friendly faces My once a week friends Buying townhomes in heaven On a ten-percent payment plan But now I’m laughing Lying down No good with plans or clues A cheap date A cherry valentine I picked for you That I picked for you I’ll burn down the bridges That connect me to where I’m from I’ll tear out all my stitches Because I’m hoping that you’ll drink my blood You always were a monster You’re barking up every tree Ten rounds with a boxer Who looks like a copy of me But now I’m laughing Lying down No good with plans or clues A cheap date A cherry valentine I picked for you Vampires crying out No good for me or you A cheap date A cherry valentine I picked for you That I pick for you
4.
Syrup 01:23
SYRUP I think she thinks I’m too sweet I bet my friends did me in I know that drink was too sweet I bet the syrup did me in I never wonder where it came from When I start feeling this way I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay for long It’s just that part of the day This doesn’t happen every time I swear I don’t want you to think that I don’t care Because I do I care so much It makes me wanna pull my hair out
5.
I REMEMBER EVERYTHING I remember how you looked on a summer night When party songs were blaring at us from left and right Out the window jumping, it gave you such a fright But I never was all that bright I remember drawing squares on your shoulder blades Laying static still for hours on a summer day Those blankets you pulled up to cover your whole face And now I let it slip away Perfect circles form underneath our eyes Knew for certain you’d be there my whole life I remember being scared of the way you’d drive Taking every corner too fast on a rainy night And like that Smiths song said, it’d be a heavenly way to die But I never wanted to try I remember how you looked on a rainy morn You said it never does this out here and you want it more We’re finding James up in the mountains in a storm That wiped out what all came before Perfect circles form underneath our eyes Knew for certain you’d be there my whole life Perfect circles form underneath my eyes Knew for certain you’d be there my whole life
6.
DOWNTOWN LIVING Downtown living End of the night Shouting orders under glycerin lights Throw the TV out the window if it feels right Downtown living Nothing to see There is a chasm between you and me Throw the TV out the window if it feels right Downtown living Elvis is on Singing that one old confederate song Throw the CD out the window if it feels right Downtown living Nowhere to go Coming down with a broken bone Throw my passport out the window if it feels right Downtown living Walls coming down But I’ve lived in worse places all over town And nothing scares me more than when it feels right Downtown living Hop in the back We got a bunch more cases to crack We got somewhere we can hide until it feels right
7.
Folly Beach 04:23
FOLLY BEACH Coney Island Folly Beach Perfect storms are just in reach Can’t we swim with the manatees? Everything looks the same to me Amelia Island Laguna Beach High as a kite in the Florida Keys This beaching life ain’t always what it seems When everything looks the same to me If you wanna go, I’ll let you If you wanna go, I’ll let you If you wanna go I won’t be begging for you to stay I’ll just ask you for one more day with me in Coney Island Folly Beach Perfect storms are just in reach Can’t we swim with the manatees? Everything looks the same to me
8.
Fifth Beatle 02:47
FIFTH BEATLE Looking back on our history books We look just about the same as we do right now We’ll never leave our town We’ll marry each other’s exes and make no sound You stick around You say it’s one thing to settle down But you’re never there to catch me when I fall Looking back on the day we met You look just about the same as you do right now Only God knows how I didn’t run you off when I was running my mouth And when I’m down I turn the amp up way too loud You said “I’m always there to catch you when you fall” Look at the time that’s running I get carried away Just think of all the time that I spent staying the same Looking up at the stars that shine We’re dressing up like the Beatles in the wintertime Your eyes look just like mine Staring at you for a moment outside of my mind Don’t say it’s love It doesn’t happen this way too much But you’re always there to catch me when I fall
9.
SOCIAL SMOKER Climb up a tree That’s good with me We’ll both get home in good time It can’t get much worse I think we’re cursed But we’re really getting better all the time You say that you’re a social smoker So why do you keep stealing all of mine? You say that you’re a social smoker But you’re really getting better all the time I tried my best But what happened next, it never became clear to me You threw a punch, and I’ve got a hunch That something worse was aiming right at me You say that you’re a social smoker So why do you keep stealing all of mine? You say that you’re a social smoker But you’re really getting better all the time A broken heart is still beating loud You’re begging your friends to drop you off downtown And no one knows what you’re on about Down in a hole- where else would I go? Your recourse is right in my eyes Spectator sports, but we’re out on the courts Is it so hard to tell you that I lied? You say that you’re a social smoker So why do you keep stealing all of mine? You say that you’re a social smoker But you’re really getting better all the time
10.
8AM 04:31
8AM Ruined by, ruined by, ruined by not me Careful eyes, careful eyes watching for nothing Do we still notice that? Do we hear the same thing? Ruined by, ruined by, ruined by Brick and mortar Stoned and quartered and drawn In an ink too faint for you to read so easy There’s nothing I couldn’t have said Any better from the top of my head, I tell you I love how you look at me at eight in the morning Specialize, specialize in your own art form Autograph, autograph, autograph my heart more Do you still notice that? Did you get up at all today? Ruined by, ruined by, ruined by Love and warriors Stoned in English class again Writing love songs that make it all seem way too easy There’s nothing I couldn’t have said To get you on out of my head, I tell you I love how you look at me at eight in the morning Ruined by, ruined by, ruined by not me Careful eyes, careful eyes watching for nothing Do you still notice that? Do we see the same things? Ruined by, ruined by, ruined by Stricter portions Vampires, porcelain dolls blood sucking me They make it all seem so damn easy There’s nothing that needs to be said I know it as sure as I’m dead, I tell you I love how you look at me at eight in the morning
11.
NOBODY EVER FEELS THIS WAY I lost again Those hardcore kids, they always win Sophie was my friend She stuck around to the bitter end Then we made out on the roof And then you cried like you always do I tell the truth And I try my best like I always do– It’s okay if you’re scared No one’s more scared than I am I don’t wanna say goodbye, but I will I don’t wanna change your mind Can you stand still? Stay inside And stay in line with both my eyes You think that nobody ever feels this way Now I’m high in demand Like a Diet Coke or an 80s band Or a long walk in the park You know I’m not cut out to be a ladies man I’m so scared of the dark Will you go if I will? Because no one’s as scared as I am Baby, no one’s as scared as I am I don’t wanna say goodbye, but I will I don’t wanna change your mind Can you stand still? Stay inside Stay in line with both my eyes You think that nobody ever fell this far Or tried this hard They wouldn’t even know where to start You fall apart, your broken heart Here in the back seat of my car You shut the door, it’s nothing more Than making out on the bedroom floor Lay awake, you’re still in pain You wonder how you ever got up today Do you think that nobody ever feels this way?

about

Originally a patch of disjointed acoustic demos, time and production guidance from Athens stalwart producer Tommy Trautwein turned Hometown Vampire into a heady and humorous rumination on the dangers of small town celebrity and the ego destruction needed to survive in love, music, or life as a whole. Aesthetically, Hometown Vampire provides a guided tour through 50 years of guitar music, calling out to greats like a prayer, asking for the songs we love to act as guidance through the trouble around us. The characters labeled here as vampires refer to any of the lowlifes we see around us or in ourselves; the punisher at the bar, the chronic failure who’s always got a new scheme, the kinds of people who live in the past and stew in bitterness. Hometown Vampire is a farewell to all the good and bad of music scene chicanery, late night shit-talking, and all the failed romances before.

Hometown Vampire is set for release on October 6, 2023 via Strolling Bones Records.

credits

released October 6, 2023

Elijah Johnston: Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, electric piano, synthesizer, bass guitar, 12-string guitar, baritone guitar, Farfisa organ

Tommy Trautwein: Bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, drums, vocals, bongos, trumpet

Gideon Johnston: Drums, percussion, bongos

Cannon Rogers: Electric guitar

Gracie Huffman: Piano, organ, synthesizer

Miller May: Saxophone

Ian White: Electric guitar

Drew Beskin: Bass guitar

Hampton Peay: Farfisa organ

Annie Leeth: Vocals

Patrick Doherty: Percussion

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All songs written by Elijah Johnston

“Hometown Vampire” and “Nobody Ever Feels This Way” written by Elijah Johnston & Drew Beskin

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Produced, engineered, and mixed by Tommy Trautwein

Engineered at Tweed Recording School and The Zoo in Athens, GA

Additional engineering done by Patrick Doherty at Racquet Recording in Athens, GA

Additional vocal engineering by Annie Leeth at Annie’s house in Athens, GA

Assistant Engineers at Tweed Recording:
Alec Garcia
Bradley Knudsen
Dejoiré Hall
Delaney Erwin
J. Ben Turk
J. Michael Shroyer
Kenlee Kundert-Gibbs
Paulina Hafer
Wyatt Martin
Zander Velez

Mastered by Matt Martin in Nashville, TN

A&R: George Fontaine, Sr.
Management: Drew Beskin

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about

Elijah Johnston Athens, Georgia

Elijah Johnston is a singer-songwriter from Athens, GA whose songs bridge the conversational songwriter fare of now and the hooky guitar based music of the past. Johnston has shared stages with acts like Noah Gundersen, Susto, and Elf Power, establishing a name as a skilled songwriter with a potent live show to match. ... more

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