Eagle Johnson’s route into music hasn’t been easy. A “temporary break with reality” in 2010 found him behind bars for a breaking-and-entering charge involving a Florida church and then in a state-run mental health facility. However, Johnson was allowed to play guitar and sing as a form of therapy, and by the time he was released, he’d evolved into quite the songwriter. His latest single echoes the sense of belonging that music provided, associating it with home through lyrics such as “A place for us and some little ones // We could teach them to play the drums”. It’s not just the lyrics that give this song such a comforting, homely feel, however. Johnson’s delicate, almost ethereal vocals ooze with sincerity, the sliding, acoustic riff takes you up in its arms and rocks you side to side and there are so many interesting sounds made by guitar and strings that you kind of just want to close your eyes and focus on following them all. If you want to chill out and float in melodic goodness for 2 minutes and 44 seconds, this is your song.

Eagle Johnson’s new album, The Last Gun, is out now.

Leanna Thomson