Justin Faulknor Channels Classic Rock Spirit in Playful New Single and Video, “Girl Like You” From Album, Far From Home
Canadian rock singer-songwriter Justin Faulknor unveils his latest single and video, ‘Girl Like You’ — a vibrant, tongue-in-cheek ode to classic rock storytelling and creative independence. The track serves as the lead single from his full-length album, Far From Home, both out now.
A lifelong student of melody and lyricism, Faulknor wrote, produced, and performed ‘Girl Like You’ with a sound steeped in sixties and seventies influences — nodding to the timeless grooves of The Beatles and Bob Dylan while infusing his own modern-day wit and warmth.
“’Girl Like You’ started as a little bass riff I always kicked around,” says Faulknor. “One day, I decided to see how far the riff could take me, and it quickly morphed into a playful ditty with a soulful sixties kind of groove.”
That spontaneous spark became the heartbeat of a song that feels both vintage and vividly alive.
Recorded with session players Federico Cremoli on bass and lead guitar and Sammy Dumanauw on drums, the single balances tight musicianship with a laid-back charm. The result is a track that captures Faulknor’s ability to blend introspection and humor, hallmarks of his evolving songwriting voice.
The creative energy extended to the video — a full-scale puppet production conceived, directed, and built by Faulknor himself. Inspired by his lifelong admiration for Jim Henson, the video follows two handmade characters through a whimsical, romantic storyline that could have played on The Muppet Show in its golden era.
“I doodled this Muppety female character one day and thought, what if she was the girl in ‘Girl Like You’?” he recalls. “I ended up storyboarding the whole thing, designing puppets, building sets, sewing costumes, and even learning some puppeteering. It became a huge labor of love.”
Drawing on his background in film and television production from Sheridan College, Faulknor edited and produced the video independently — a true one-man show in both vision and execution. “It was a lot of pressure and a whole lot of work,” he admits. “But my love and admiration for Jim Henson and his team helped me see it through.”
The result is a warm, nostalgic visual love letter to the artistry and joy that defined Henson’s creations. Both the song and video radiate the sincerity of a musician who believes deeply in craft, humor, and heart — the very pillars of great rock songwriting.
“Girl Like You” fits seamlessly within the broader tapestry of ‘Far From Home,’ an album written during the isolation of the pandemic.
“There’s a playfulness, tongue-in-cheek feel to many of these songs, but also a touch of darkness at times,” Faulknor says. “It’s about feeling adrift, but still hearing that soft, distant voice of hope.”
Through its melodic guitar hooks, evocative lyrics, and imaginative storytelling, ‘Girl Like You’ captures Justin Faulknor at his most free and inventive — a rock craftsman reimagining nostalgia with contemporary heart.
Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
I’m Justin Faulknor, Canadian singer/songwriter. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, I’m a graduate of McMaster University as well as the Sheridan College Media Arts program. I’m a lifelong music lover, self taught musician, heavily influenced by artists like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Tom Petty, and Paul Simon. An artist at heart, I have experience in photography, audio/video editing, graphic design, filmmaking, video effects…all extremely valuable skills for an independent artist.
You said “Girl Like You” started from a little bass riff you kicked around — what finally made you realize that riff had a whole story hiding inside it?
It was a mellow groove that also had a bit of attitude to it. Oddly enough, in the end I opted to go with a different bass line when I got into the studio, but the chord structure and overall feel of the song all came from that little riff. The line “lookin’ for a girl like you” came as I was sketching out the chorus and the rest of the song fell into place from there. The song has a touch of laid-back charm, with a bit of grit – starts of with a relaxed vibe and builds to raucous crescendo. I’m a passionate guy so it wasn’t hard to write a kind of love song, but it also was a reflection on how I look at life in general, so it’s part love song, part life mantra.
The video is full-on puppet magic. At what point did you think, “Yep, I’m building a whole cast of characters by hand”?
Ha! Almost from the very start…shortly after I started storyboarding the plot arc for the video, I knew I was in for it! I called my buddy and said that I needed to take a day or two to decide if I was really going to jump in headfirst on this because I knew it was going to be a huge commitment and I would have to do most of it alone. To do this right I’m going to have to handcraft not just a mess of puppets, but lots of props, and some largescale sets, too. I’ve loved The Muppets ever since I was a kid and I think part of the magic of The Muppets is the detail given to their world, not only in the props and sets, but in the group of characters that fill out their world and give it a lived-in feel. There was always a parade of background characters, animals, creatures that fleshed out the cast. Lots of things happening in the background. It was going to be a LOT of work, but I knew if I was going to do this right, I would need to have more than just the main boy and girl to make this video properly. And since I had next to no budget, I knew I was going to have to get creative and build my own motley crew to create a little world of my own. Same with the sets and all the props…I tried to add as much detail as possible to all the instruments, real sand on the beach set, even adding the vintage cloth feel to the digitally painted backdrops. I tried to put just as much care and love into this video as Jim Henson and his team put into The Muppets.
The album was born during the isolation of the pandemic. How did that sense of being ‘far from home’ shape the humour and the darkness that weave through the songs?
There’s always been a great deal of humour and introspection in my songs, but those days definitely made it easy to be reflective. I use humour all the time to take the edge off life and while I don’t dwell on darkness I do acknowledge the complexities of life. It’s not all ‘sunshine and roses’…there’s darkness and sadness sometimes. I’m an optimist and a dreamer at heart, but I’m also a realist. I am very aware of the yin and yang of life. I think we need to acknowledge all of it, you know. It’s just important not to get consumed by the darkness. I do believe that love always wins out in the end.
If someone discovers you for the first time through ‘Girl Like You,’ what’s the one thing you hope they understand about you as an artist?
I think, if you’ve never heard anything I’ve done and come across ‘Girl Like You’, especially if it’s through the music video you get a nice encapsulation of who I am as a person and ultimately an artist. You’ll find humour, passion, a laidback feel, a bit of a cocky edge, devotion to craft, whimsy, clever wordplay. That’s what I hope they get…even in the seemingly simple things there are often many layers. That’s me.