When The War Is Over by Johnnyswim

Johnnyswim’s latest offering, When The War Is Over, finds the LA-based duo – Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez – stripping things back to their emotional core. Raw, honest, and intentionally imperfect, the album is an 11-track journey through seasons of struggle and surrender. Built on a foundation of soulful pop and folk-tinged balladry, the project captures their chemistry as musicians and partners navigating life’s heaviest terrain.

Tracks like ‘Dopamine’, featuring the sharp lyricism of Tobe Nwigwe, inject a fresh, genre-bending energy into an album that largely opts for organic instrumentation and stripped-back arrangements. Meanwhile, ‘Slow Medicine’ showcases Amanda’s haunting vocal delivery against a delicate piano motif, blossoming into a symphonic swell that aches with sincerity.

Recorded live with their favourite musicians, the album’s production pulses with vitality.“Every instrument has eyeballs,” as they put it. The result is a collection that doesn’t just speak, it breathes like a living organism; the heart rate increases with the music.

Having already graced the stages of Jimmy Kimmel Live and NPR’s Tiny Desk, Johnnyswim bring their intimate yet grand performance to London’s Scala on 20th May. It’s a rare chance to witness a duo who’ve built their legacy on telling the truth and singing it beautifully.