Indie pop duo JOYNER’s latest offering “Ted Lasso” is a soul-stirring track that not only showcases the duo’s musical expertise, but also serves as a profoundly personal tribute to their late mother, marking the inception of a transformative journey for the sisters, personally and professionally.
“Ted Lasso” is a creation penned and produced by sisters Summer and Torrey – alongside Billy Lefler – that mixes together indie-pop and a story that takes a deep dive into human emotion and vulnerability. The song’s origins lie in a moment of profound grief (the night the sisters’ mother passed away). Faced with the weight of their personal loss and the uncertainty it brought, Summer and Torrey subsequently turned to the Apple+ series ‘Ted Lasso’ for solace and comfort.
“We wrote Ted Lasso about the night our mom passed away,” Summer and Torrey exemplify about the influence of their song. “We had spent the day saying our goodbyes and when it came time to turn in we couldn’t sleep. We sat together in the living room of our childhood home with our family, exhausted and perplexed on what to do next. We turned on the tv and watched Ted Lasso and somehow it lightened the air.”
The genesis of this song lies in its raw voice memos—recordings capturing thoughts amidst grief. Those deeply personal reflections for Summer and Torrey evolved into a beautiful composition, with lines like “Holding my breath doesn’t put more air in your lungs” taking charge and painting a vivid struggle to cling to fleeting moments and the pain of parting with loved ones.
The single’s delicate production – which features looping melodies and evocative instrumentation – serves as a form of emotional expression for Summer and Torrey, with “Ted Lasso” also serving of just a small taste of what is to come from their forthcoming album.
The music video for the single is also a beautiful, slow paced piece that adds another layer to the song’s emotional depth visually. Shot in a historic home in Los Angeles, California, the video’s minimalist beauty complements the Summer and Torrey’s subdued and melancholic mood. Each room within the video symbolises a stage of the Summer and Torrey’s grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—culminating in a final scene that resonates with surrender.
The team of Summer and Torrey, as JOYNER, have crafted more than just a song with “Ted Lasso”, as it is a couple of things: an emotional journey for Summer and Torrey, a tribute to love and loss, and a showcase of Summer and Torrey’s resilience and creative spirit as artists personally and professionally.
