It's nearly impossible to pinpoint what quality Joan Wasser — aka Joan As Police Woman — possesses that feels so familiar. A singer/songwriter that has covered a range of artists from Prince to Outkast to the Strokes, Wasser makes music that feels free to go wherever her mood or collaborators take her.
The way she performs her 2021 single "Get My Bearings" shows just that. In her episode of Press Play At Home, a piano-playing Wasser is joined by her guitarist, keyboardist and drummer, all letting the song take hold — creating an affecting performance as a result.
"Get My Bearings" served as the second song on Wasser's joint album with Afrobeats pioneer Tony Allen and singer/songwriter Dave Okumu, The Solution Is Restless, and features Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn on vocals. As indicated by its heavily existential lyrics, the probing track was written shortly after Allen passed away in April 2021.
"It's an evocation of the incredibly thin membrane between life and death," Wasser explained of the song, according to Stereogum. "The idea of 'mysticism' is the only way to describe it. My intellect cannot place death. It's what floats beyond where the music resides."
Watch Joan As Police Woman perform the standout track above and make sure to check back every Thursday for new episodes of Press Play At Home.
