New York singer-songwriter and poetic realist Joanna Sternberg put out their third single this week in advance of the upcoming LP I’ve Got Me. “People Are Toys To You” is a blunt but bouncy tune about a former partner who, as the title suggests, treated people in their life with reckless abandon. The song also features Sternberg’s first recorded electric guitar parts, as they play every instrument on their upcoming sophomore release.
Although its message is biting, “People Are Toys To You” isn’t vengeful or angry; rather, Sternberg sings as if the reality of the situation all became clear to them in the moment they wrote it. “I wrote this song while I was in a rush walking to the subway with my double bass,” says Sternberg in a press statement. “I was upset about something and the song sort of wrote itself. The funny thing is that Soundcloud Pro’s ‘Who Is Listening’ feature told me the person I wrote this song about listened to it four times when I posted it on facebook. Oops!”
Despite easy comparisons to Daniel Johnston for their sparse and raw style, there are few artists like Sternberg. Their authenticity is jarring. I’ve Got Me comes out on June 30th via Fat Possum Records, and Sternberg will play XPN’s Free At Noon concert this Friday June 2nd. RSVP for the event here.