“Dear Me” follows the quartet’s previous full-length, simply entitled The Album, and shows how far their songwriting has evolved. Built upon a rousing, arena-sized musical foundation, the song’s lyrics are, in the words of singer/guitarist Noel Johnson, “a letter to your future self,” which he wrote in the van on the way to Americanafest in Nashville while thinking of his newborn son back home.
Since Noel and bassist Jared Craig teamed up with brothers Nathan and Trevor Crook (lead guitar and drums respectively), breaking onto the scene in 2016 with the song “Minnedosa”—an ode to the Crook brothers’ Manitoba hometown—Johnson Crook has become one of the most powerful live acts in Canadian roots music, with their group harmonies frequently drawing comparisons to everyone from the Eagles to Old Dominion. Signing with Toronto-based Coalition Music, they recorded The Album with acclaimed producer Bill Bell (Jason Mraz, Justin Nozuka, Tom Cochrane), who enlisted Tom Cochrane for a guest appearance. From there, they hit the road in earnest across North America, playing massive outdoor festivals, Legion halls, and everything in between.