Photo by Colin Matsui

Enumclaw vocalist and guitarist Artemis Johnson seems like one to bang his head on a thought and continue to hammer away at it into ellipses. It’s as if he’s willing the universe to force some kind of progress in his favor, even if it’s well beyond his control. On “Change,” the lead single from Enumclaw’s sophomore effort and Run for Cover Records debut, Home in Another Life, he’s running out of patience. “Well, it feels good being back on my own is what / I try and tell myself time and time again leaning on my friends / But this time, I want / Change!” he shouts. Toiling with the everyday mundane of their dreary Pac-Northwest surroundings made for plenty of existential brainstew on the band’s 2022 debut album, Save the Baby, but here, he alongside fellow guitarist Nathan Cornell, drummer Ladaniel Gipson, and bassist Eli Edwards are feeding more friction into pent up frustrations, and figuring out where best to project noise into their pop in the process. The end result is a middle ground where self-loathing and horniness co-exists like a salve. “I want you to touch me / I want you to hurt me / I want you to turn me on,” he sings. “Could this feel wrong?” You can’t blame him for being his own best advocate…

Directed by: John C. Peterson

Enumclaw’s Home in Another Life will be released August 30th on Run For Cover Records.