Jonathan Richman’s ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ isn’t a loud declaration. It is something rarer: a quiet and cohesive unfolding of songs that seem to arise from the atmosphere itself.

Recorded over just five days in early January 2025, the album has the feeling of music captured in the very act of becoming—spontaneous, relaxed, and deeply personal. With longtime collaborators Tommy Larkins on drums and Jerry Harrison (his former Modern Lovers bandmate) on keyboards, Richman writes “songs” in a way that evokes small emotional worlds, lived-in and unhurried.

From the opening track, ‘I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky Anyway,’ we find Richman dwelling in poetic simplicity. His melodies feel effortless, his lyrics observant and playful, never obscure. On ‘Night Fever,’ he borrows a Bee Gees chorus but reframes it entirely; the song becomes a meditation on presence. ‘The Older Girl’ recalls adolescent confusion with bittersweet clarity, while the Spanish-tinted ‘Se Va Pa’volver’ touches gently on mortality and transformation: friends departing only to return in other forms. Richman resists finality. As he puts it, “I’m not sure I’d say it was departures and returns as much as not really departing at all.”

This album, like so much of Richman’s work since The Modern Lovers, is remarkably free of disillusionment. It is acoustic, yes, but never austere. Richman has always been about holding a space for feeling in real time. ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ might even feel like a conversation with music and its author. His music, defying cliché, truly feels like therapy, solidifying his place as one of the most unique songwriters of our time. To discover his world is a genuine gift.

“We found surprising worlds of sound throughout the whole record!”

‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ was recorded in an incredibly brief window, January 5th to January 10th, 2025. That’s lightning fast for an album. What was it like being in that whirlwind? Did that quick-fire recording process just naturally pull out the “departures and returns” theme you mentioned, or was it something you were feeling anyway?

Jonathan Richman: We record fast anyway. But this felt real relaxed. No rush. Just a dream with songs coming into existence as we recorded ’em.

It’s awesome to hear Tommy Larkins and Jerry Harrison are back on board. Beyond the comfort of having your good pals there, what fresh magic did their playing bring this time around? Did you guys find any surprising little corners of sound together, especially on tracks like ‘I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky Anyway’ or ‘Se Va Pa’volver’?

We found surprising worlds of sound throughout the whole record!

‘Night Fever’ with a Bee Gees’ melody? That’s a classic move, twisting something familiar into something totally new. What got you thinking about taking that disco anthem and spinning it into a “voyeuristic look on a typical Saturday night in Europe”? Was it just a fun idea that sparked, or did you want to show us a different side of that tune?

That’s not voyeuristic exactly. Listen again. The singer is asking something of himself. And he is participating.

The album features ‘The Older Girl,’ a track that harks back to youthful observation, reminding us about those funny, sometimes awkward, parts of growing up. After all these years of songwriting and watching the world, how has your own take on “dating up” or those age differences changed? Is that line, “She was a whole year older / And I looked a lot younger / I was too young to know how important those two things were,” a chuckle from memory, or a gentle nod to something deeper?

If it was something deeper would you expect me to tell you?

You mentioned ‘Want To Visit My Inner House?’ was where ‘SA!’ was “starting to head,” and that you, Jerry, and Nicole Montalbano produced them both. That’s a cool insight. Can you tell us a bit more about that journey between the two albums? What ideas or sounds were just bubbling on ‘SA!’ that really found their full voice on ‘Want To Visit My Inner House?’

And I can tell you that this latest is a record in a “series.” The same trio produced this one too. I love the drum sound we’ve been getting and that is, of course, partly because of Tommy Larkins on the drums.

The way you talk about ‘Se Va Pa’volver’ – friends leaving but returning “in another role… with another mission” – that’s really profound. It sounds like this idea of departures and returns weaves through the whole album. Where else on ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ does that theme pop up, and what personal moments or observations helped you land on such a beautiful, almost philosophical, idea?

You hit on it: yes there does seem to be a theme to this record. I’m not sure I’d say it was departures and returns as much as not really departing at all.

Your live shows are legendary for being so wonderfully spontaneous and connected. How do you see these new songs from ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway,’ with their unique stories and acoustic vibes, fitting into that live experience? Do you think tracks like ‘The Dog Star’ or ‘Little Black Bat’ will inspire new kinds of moments with the audience on your Fall tour?

Yes, these new songs are fun to play live so we’re really glad they came into existence with the record session for this record.

Blue Arrow Records is the label for this new adventure. What was it about them that just felt right? You’ve always had such a unique way of doing things, so what clicked with Blue Arrow that made them the perfect home for ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’?

They click with all my records. They’ve been the label I record my stuff for since 2014.

People often toss around terms like “indie rock” when talking about your music, but you’ve really carved out your own incredible path over the decades. With ‘Only Frozen Sky Anyway’ out now, are you ever thinking about what else is out there in the music world, or do you just prefer to stay in your own wonderful, unique musical universe?

Thank you for the compliments. I listen to a lot of music. Have you heard John Cale’s new album called ‘POPtical Illusion’? Have you heard ‘And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow’ by Weyes Blood? Do.

Alright Jonathan, last one, and this is a bit different. Let’s say we’re just finishing up this interview, and I say, “Hey, I’m heading home, maybe put on some music, you should totally come over!” If you actually took me up on it, and you were standing in my living room right here in my small town, what five records would you immediately pull off a shelf – or recommend I put on – to share with me right then and there? Something to absolutely blow my mind, or just help us kick back and really enjoy the moment?

It would be hard for me to know what I might want to do in any given situation until I was there and knew how I felt about the people I was with. What town do you live in?

… (and so it continued)

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Driely S.

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