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Nov 04, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Kimberly Corday

Justin Sullivan is likely best known for his time behind the drum kit after spending the better part of the past 20 years on the road. He’s played as a member of Flat Worms, The Babies, and Kevin Morby’s backing band, and he’s also played live with Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, and Anna St. Louis. In recent years though, Sullivan has also reintroduced himself as a singer/songwriter in his own right. Back in 2017, Sullivan debuted his solo project, Night Shop, and earlier this month he announced details of his second solo solo album, Forever Night.

Though Night Shop sees Sullivan taking the lead, he also remains a consummate collaborator, bringing on Jarvis Taveniere (Woods/Purple Mountains) as co-producer. Longtime friends and bandmates also joined in, with Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, Evan Weiss (Sparks), Tiffanie Lanmon (Jess Williamson), Alex Fischel (Spoon), Anna St. Louis, and Jess Williamson all contributing to the record. The full record comes out early next year, but today Sullivan has shared his latest single, “For a While,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“For a While” is a touching, slow-burning ballad, featuring a gently swaying instrumental and lovely backing vocals from Jess Williamson. Sullivan’s nostalgia-laden balladry explores love and loss, with Sullivan making peace with a past love and surveying the memories they shared. Sullivan finds beauty in the ruins of memory, confessing that he wouldn’t change a thing一Even knowing everything I know, I would still choose to love you though / Even in a room filled up with smoke. For a while, that was home. “ “For a While” is a gem of sanguine songwriting, showing even while surrounded by some of the best singer/songwriters in indie rock, Sullivan is a standout talent of his own.

Check out the song and video below. Forever Night is due out February 11th via Dangerbird Records. You can also read Justin Sullivan’s thoughts on the song and video below in our Q&A.

What is the inspiration behind “For A While”, What do you want your fans to take away from this single? What does it mean to you personally?

It’s a song about the home I used to live in and how homecoming to me isn’t about returning there, but accepting where I am right now. To me personally and perhaps this is what someone could take away from it, I think it’s been good for me to know that you can both love someone and know that it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re supposed to be together. Both can be true and accepting that can be beautiful.

Can you share a bit about your songwriting process? And what do you think makes a good song? How did Meg get involved in this recording?

Ha, buried in there is a question I could take a long time to answer; what makes a good song? Well, in terms of my songwriting and my songs, I think it’s just a feeling of “I’ve captured some sense of the story that I wanted to tell. I can’t capture it any better than that.” For me, once I’ve hit that, it’s time to move on to the next one. In terms of other people’s songs, I think it’s anything that stops time for you. That makes you pause. That changes the shape of your reality, even for a few minutes.

And Meg and I have been friends for years and logged a lot of miles and hours on the road together and in the studio playing in Kevin Morby’s band I was really excited to get a chance to play together again as they are so talented and I was just happy they had time in their busy schedule to make it happen.

How has LA influenced the music you make? How has playing in different projects affect your songwriting?

As far as LA goes, I just love the rhythm and pace of this city and I think it’s constantly giving me information about myself and the world at a speed and intensity that is hard to ignore. I can’t imagine living in a city any slower or smaller than this.

And that’s another question I could take forever with but I think I’ve been lucky enough to not only be around really talented, kind people but also I think I learned the most from my former bandmates who had the courage and confidence to pursue their own visions. It took me a long time to get there, but that really stuck with me.

Tell us a bit about the video and the filming process?

Well, as with the “Forever Night” video, me Jeff Davenport and Cooper Kenward spent the day together and just filmed it all. We wanted this video to reflect the domesticity and the idea of making one’s own home that the lyrics touch on, so we shot it at my apartment.

How have you been spending your pandemic time?

Just trying to find the good in each day, where I can.