First preview: Daniel Johns gives exclusive sneak peak of FutureNever comeback record

As Daniel Johns undergoes a 28-day rehab program for alcohol abuse and faces a court appearance for DUI, he gives us a sneak peek of his new solo record.

Daniel Johns reinvents his Silverchair past with a striking update of the 1997 chart-topping hit Freak for his comeback record FutureNever.

Now titled FreakNever, Johns has recast the song as a bombastic piano suite and written the lyrics to reflect the enduring and traumatic impact of fame on the teenager who became an overnight rock star.

But Johns doesn’t sing the revealing lyrics; instead he has enlisted the mysterious Purplegirl, who sounds like she may be the same age as he was when he became famous.

“No more maybes, The world stole a baby, Took his soul on tour and Made a deal with the devil,” Purplegirl sings.

Johns is currently undergoing a month-long treatment program for alcohol abuse after being charged with alleged high range drink-driving following a car accident on the NSW mid north coast on March 23.

Johns recorded the album at his home in Newcastle. Picture: Luke Eblen, Supplied

He will exit the rehabilitation program as he releases FutureNever, his first solo record in seven years, on April 22.

Johns reconnected with thousands of fans around the world via the wildly successful Who Is Daniel Johns? podcast last year which he agreed to do to tell his side of the Silverchair story and his ongoing mental health battles and also promote his new music in lieu of touring which he hates.

An exclusive preview of FutureNever reveals Johns has indeed made good on his promise the record would musically represent “a place where your past, present and future collide”.

Johns has defiantly followed his own musical path with FutureNever. Picture: Channel 10

The record will certainly test the friendship renewed with fans via the podcast; anyone holding out for a “hit single” or a conventional genre album should manage their expectations.

He strikes the strongest connection with his early Silverchair sound on the punkish stomper Stand ‘Em Up, a collaboration with his producer mate WhatSoNot which sounds like an homage to The Clash.

Johns switches to an R & B vibe hinted at on his 2015 debut solo album Talk on the sexy I Feel Electric, which also features American artist Moxie Raia.

It could be a single but Johns is resistant to the idea of playing the industry game and thus far has only released Those Thieving Birds (Part 3), another instalment of the song which originally featured on Silverchair’s final album Young Modern.

American singer Moxie Raia is one of the FutureNever guest artists. Picture: Getty.

Another possibly radio-friendly is the woozy electronic song Cocaine Killer, which features Australian chart-topping dance duo Peking Duk.

The lion’s share of FutureNever builds on the orchestra-on-steroids rock opera template of Young Modern, released way back in 2007.

Party starters Peking Duk feature on the track Cocaine Killer. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Opening track Reclaim Your Heart stretches Johns’ dexterous vocals into soprano territory while the baroque pop of Emergency Calls Only is assisted by his old mate Van Dyke Parks, the legendary orchestral arranger for Beach Boy Brian Wilson who first worked with the Australian musician on Silverchair’s Diorama album.

Lyrically, the record continues Johns’ intimate revelations about his Silverchair years made during the podcast which premiered last October.

He appears to reference the head he suffered after a fall during a night out in Sydney in 2017 in the trippy track Someone Call An Ambulance.

“When all I needed was your sympathy, A part of my head is dripping in blood,” he sings.

FutureNever is a wild ride. It sounds like creative freedom for Johns but will no doubt take fans a few listens to grasp his musical vision.

FutureNever is released on April 22. You can pre-order via https://www.futurenever.art/