September 6 / 2024 –

Arrested Youth was a mainstay of the late 2010s era alternative scene. As Twenty-One Pilots began to pivot away from the sound that made them popular, Arrested Youth was largely there to pick up the reigns. His top song, “The Kid I Used to Know” is very much inspired by the early days of Tyler Joseph’s pop/alt/emo fusion rap tunes. Arrested Youth has also opened for the band in the past.

Fans will have noticed his absence these past few years. Recently, Ian Johnson announced a comeback album (as well as the reason for his silence). At the end of 2021, Johnson underwent a brain and spinal surgery to address a life-altering diagnosis of Chiari Malformation Type I. That’s the kind of thing that affects a person, to say the least. For Ian Johnson, this was a reckoning. And one that manifested itself as an artistic adjustment for Arrested Youth.

Below, Ian Johnson answers a few questions from Real Goblin about the last few years, his artistic pivot, and the future of Arrested Youth.

REAL GOBLIN: Hello! It’s a pleasure to be able to do this. Right off the bat, I just want to say that your story is remarkable and I’m so glad to hear that you’re doing better.

IAN JOHNSON: Thank you!

REAL GOBLIN: This upcoming album was described to me as a more accurate portrayal of who you are as a person than your past releases. Do you agree with this?

IAN JOHNSON: I do – this album reflects where I am in my life. It’s sincere and honest, which were two very important principles to me when making it. 

REAL GOBLIN: You cite the likes of The Killers, Phoenix, and Kings Of Leon as influences for this new project. Were these always lingering somewhere in the back of your mind? Or was this a complete pivot for you as an artist?

IAN JOHNSON: Yes, always. I wanted to make a more organic alternative rock album from the beginning of my career, but I found early success in a more “modern” sound and kind of stuck with it, for commercial purposes. 

REAL GOBLIN: What has the reaction been like from fans, friends, and collaborators? Has it surprised you at all?

IAN JOHNSON: It’s too early to know, really. Those close to me love the album, but then again there’s a bias there! It seems that some of my fans connect with the two singles that have come out. But it’s a risk taking a creative leap like this – you have to do it for the art, not the outcome of others’ opinions. 

It’s an admirable stage in Arrested Youth’s career. With Too Late To Start Over, Ian Johnson steps away from the genre he knows his fans connected the most with in favor of something that feels truer to himself as an artist – a difficult, and likely scary, leap to take.

REAL GOBLIN: How did your process in the creation of this new project differ from your past work?

IAN JOHNSON: It’s really been the same process as before – just a much longer one. I took a lot of time to redevelop how I songwrite and sing. In all, this album took about 2 years to complete. 

REAL GOBLIN: Too Late To Start Over acts as a sort of chronicle of your experience over the past few years. What was that experience like overall?

IAN JOHNSON: Difficult. Very bittersweet. But also brought me a newfound peace of mind in my life. I feel more comfortable with who I am. Some of that is just getting older, I’m sure. But I think these past few years sped up the process. 

REAL GOBLIN: A life-altering diagnosis seems like a very harrowing thing to experience. But it seems to have manifested in a more optimistic way than a pessimistic one. Were there moments where that was the other way around?

IAN JOHNSON: Absolutely, and there are still days where I feel the impact very deeply. I think one of the most positive things to come out of the experience was this album, actually. I hope it finds its way in the world and helps people. I think it’s a very comforting, sincere album. So hopefully it finds the people who need it. 

REAL GOBLIN: I want to talk a little bit about artistic integrity, which was something you reckoned with during the recovery period. Could you describe what it was like to explore this new type of authenticity?

IAN JOHNSON: It felt highly rewarding to finally own up to my own standard of integrity in my work. Of course, that’s just part of the experience. Once you live up to your own standard, you then have to see if the world will praise you for your decision or fail to take notice. But the best way to describe me journey making this album was “getting even with myself as an artist and person”. 

REAL GOBLIN: Do you see this new direction as a permanent change for Arrested Youth? And do you think this is a leap you would have made over time if not for your diagnosis?

IAN JOHNSON: I do think I would have made this leap naturally over time, but it would have taken much longer. As for a permanent change, I can’t say quite yet. I think my question still has yet to be answered, “is it too late to start over?”