Johnny Casino: Twenty Twnety – single review

JOHNNY CASINO

Twenty Twenty

FOLC Records

7″ | DL

Johnny Casino returns with new single, Twenty Twenty, to see off the year and welcome in the new.

When we first covered Johnny Casino in 2018, he had just released his album Trade Winds, an album of crashing rock ‘n’ roll. On his follow up, Vibrations, Yours and Mine, he stripped it back for a more acoustic record of select cover versions. For his new single, released next month on FOLC Records, he has taken those styles, one each, for the two tracks to find the perect balance.

Recorded in Philadelphia at the start of the pandemic, Twenty Twenty is a driving gravelled classic rock number that sees Casino dealing with the fallout of this year as his mind drifted to the desire to return home to his adopted country, Spain. The urge for freedom that gripped us all is condensed into two minutes before he strips things down for the flip side, People Say. It finds him alone with just his acoustic guitar. On the song, Casino questions the attitudes of people the world over, their desires, dreams and inherent urge to not better themselves, but rather get one up on the next person. It’s an indictment of a selfishness that has pervaded society.

Over the two new tracks, he shows us both sides of his persona, one that has seen him become one of the best voices of thge underground rock ‘n’ roll scene.

The single is available on pre-order now from FOLC Records.

Follow Johnny Casino on Facebook.

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All words by Nathan Whittle. Find his Louder Than War archive here.