Joanna Sternberg will release a new album called I’ve Got Me on June 30 through Fat Possum. Sternberg played every instrument on all 12 of the album’s songs, which was ecorded with producer Matt Sweeney and engineer Daniel Schlett at Brooklyn’s Strange Weather Studios.
They have also shared the title track, saying: “I do not remember if I wrote this song before or after reading the poem ‘Oh Yes’ by Charles Bukowski, but the song is definitely meant to reflect the same sentiment. I also have the poem tattooed on my right arm!”
A paean to fighting back against the instinct for self-deprecation, in “I’ve Got Me” we hear Sternberg audibly digging their esteem out of the basement and bringing it back to life. Lines like “Between self-hatred and self-awareness / is a very small thin line” and “why is it so hard to be kind and gentle to myself” cut to the bone with their simple universailty and Sternberg’s earnest delivery. Sitting somewhere between the folk beauty of Karen Dalton and the conversational style of Daniel Johnston, “I’ve Got Me” is a humble knockout.
Watch the video for “I’ve Got Me” below or find it on streamers.
Joanna Sternberg’s new album I’ve Got Me is out on June 30 through Fat Possum (pre-order/save). You can find them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
