It can be argued that modern technology is both a blessing and a curse, but certainly one redeeming aspect of it is the ability it affords for different musicians located halfway around the world to come together and collaborate in the creation of a song. As a shining example of that synergy, I bring you “Adrift“, the wonderful new single by American rock band Voodoo Planet and Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mikey J.

Based in DeSoto, Missouri, a small city approximately 40 miles southwest of St. Louis (where I lived from 1995-2011), Voodoo Planet formed in 2010, and consists of John Gilbert on guitar & vocals, Ed Henry on bass, guitar & vocals, Adrienne Myers on keyboards & vocals, and Patrick Myers on drums & vocals. Their eclectic sound draws from a wide cross-section of genres including garage, alternative, grunge, punk, psychedelic and experimental rock, country, folk, Americana and pop.

They began releasing music in 2013 with their self-titled EP Voodoo Planet, followed by their live EP Bookstore Sessions in 2017. Several tracks from both EPs were later included in their full-length album Ripsnorters, released in early 2020. Some of the tracks were inspired by the stories of real historical figures like Lizzie Borden and the radium girls, women factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watches with luminous paint containing radium. After a bit of a hiatus, they came roaring back in early 2023 with “Bewitched” a song touching on the sad tale of Bridget Bishop, who was persecuted in the Salem witch trials. Since then, they’ve dropped several more singles, their latest of which is “Adrift”, their collaboration with Mikey J.

Mikey J (aka Michael Johnson), who humbly refers to himself as “just a dude who loves music“, is a prolific singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by some of the great songwriters of the past, life experiences and his family, his songs are a mix of rock, blues, folk, funk and indie influences, all of which he performs and records in what he calls his simple setup at home. He’s been writing and recording music since his teens, releasing his first self-titled EP in 1999 at the age of 17 with his then band Blue Tracer. In 2011, he released a solo album Happy “​六​” Anniversary, inspired by and dedicated to his wife Ella. Nearly 10 years would pass until his next release ISO​-​Inspiration, an album inspired by the Covid lockdown, in October 2020. Since then, Mikey J’s been on a creative tear, dropping five more albums, as well as numerous singles.

Described as “an acoustic seafaring-themed song about lost friendship“, “Adrift” is a bit of a stylistic departure for both Voodoo Planet and Mikey J, with a mellower, more contemplative feel than their typical, more rock-oriented sounds. For the track’s recording, John Gilbert played acoustic guitar & percussion, and sang vocals, Pat Myers played bass, drums & percussion, Adrienne Myers played piano & keyboards, and Mikey J played cello. The track was co-produced by John Gilbert and Ed Henry, and mixed and mastered by Ed.

The song is a melancholy but lovely folk ballad that tells the sad tale of a group of young men who go out on a sailing adventure that ends in tragedy. John’s beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, accompanied by Adrienne’s soothing organ riff and the sound of gently crashing waves, set a comforting tone for the song. But soon, Mikey J’s somber cello strings enter, injecting a palpable sense of tension and unease to the proceedings. John’s pleasing, low-key vocals convey feelings of resignation and sadness as he sings the bittersweet lyrics:

Signed up for a party, on a big metal ship
Things got heavy, the boat began to tip, boat began to tip.
As young sailors, we never learned how to swim, No hanging on, dear.
The quicker to meet our end, quicker to meet our end.
Tried all the knots, to find one that would hold, 
Hard to tie when hands and hearts grow cold, hands and hearts grow cold.

That storm came crashing in, we knew it had to end
That storm came crashing in, we knew it had to end.
The sea didn't take us that day 
The sea didn't take us that day
The sea didn't take us that day
Only one of us washed away, only one of us walked away..

Lost at sea, my friend, far away at the world's end
Tied a string to all we held dear
But sirens whispered in your ear, sirens whispered in your ear
Things best unspoken, and floating debris,
Best leave it all, and sink into the sea, sink in to the sea.

The sea didn't take us that day 
The sea didn't take us that day
The sea didn't take us that day
Only one of us washed away, only one of us walked away..

No wind in our sails, but we're headed home
Might drown in a bottle, you never know
Pray all you like, but keep rowing for shore.

The Bandcamp offering is an EP which includes the original song, along with two alternate mixes.

Follow Voodoo Planet:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / Threads

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube 

Follow Mikey J:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / Threads

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Soundcloud