I get a lot of press releases.

Every week it’s another album announcement, another single, another tour. After a while, your eyes naturally start looking for something that makes you stop scrolling.

A few weeks ago, one did exactly that.

A 36-track worship album. You have my attention.

Not because it sounded ridiculous… well, maybe a little… but because in an era where artists are told to release one song every six weeks to satisfy an algorithm, somebody was doing the exact opposite. I opened the email immediately.

“I remember telling Anotherland Records that I wanted to make the Christian Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, [Smashing Pumpkins]. And they said, ‘Sure, let’s do it. But you need to cut it in half because it’s 135 minutes of music.’ And, you know, I’m glad I did it.”

This is the furthest thing from a worship record built around radio singles. It isn’t trying to fit into anyone’s playlist. It doesn’t sound like Sunday morning. It doesn’t sound like Nashville. “I genuinely felt… that I needed to collect all of these songs… and filter them through my aesthetic, which is not worship.”

If you came of age with the Garden State soundtrack or the beautifully strange corners of Tooth & Nail Records, this might be the worship music you’ve been waiting for.

Long before he was making devotional records, John Van Desusen fronted The Lonely Forest. A band that flirted with major-label success, toured relentlessly, packed clubs, and were on the cusp of becoming something that seemed much bigger. In that the chase for acceptance, Van Deusen found something else.

Today he’s a worship pastor on the seemingly unescapable Fidalgo Island in Washington. ” I’ve lived there for 38 years and I’ve pleaded with the good Lord, ‘Let me leave,’ so many times, and He has not. And that’s okay.” While that concept may trigger visuals of The Shining, this is in fact the same island where they shot the just as triggering family drama Free Willy. Somewhere huddled up inside a cozy closet you’ll fine Van Deusen recording song after song. “I feel a lot of permission from Him to be myself in the studio, and it’s an act of worship.”

While his name may not be immediately familiar to the Christian radio crowd, he has a fiercely loyal audience. They’re not showing up because an algorithm suggested his music. They’re buying quadruple-vinyl editions. They’re listening to records front to back.

And that record is a two part opus with a fittingly obtuse title As Long As I Am In The Tent Of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise. Part 2 will be released on August 28th on Anotherland Records. John explained that he purposely wanted the title, artwork, and sheer size of the project to communicate that this wasn’t an ordinary worship record. He even admitted he wanted people to get tired listening to it. Purposefully. “I really wanted the average listener to listen to a handful of songs and go, ‘I can’t do this’… and maybe a year later decide they wanted to try again.” After hearing a few of these tracks performed live, I predict this won’t happen. I think you’ll hear a few songs, stop and then immediately text a friend, and say, “You’ve got to hear this guy.”

The first single from Part 2, “Only Living If I’m Abiding,” is available now, and we’re excited to premiere an exclusive live performance on the CCM Magazine YouTube channel. It’s one of the most immediate and accessible entry points into Van Deusen’s ambitious 36-song vision. It doesn’t sacrifice the larger artistic statement, but instead invites you deeper into it. During our conversation, John described the album version as sounding like “Nada Surf” while intentionally writing verses that were “moderately cryptic” before opening into a soaring chorus centered on abiding in Christ. The result is an indie-rock worship anthem that feels equally at home alongside your favorite alternative records as it does in a deeply personal moment of devotion. If this is your first introduction to John Van Deusen, don’t be surprised if one song quickly turns into an afternoon exploring the rest of his remarkable catalog.

Check out his additional performances and the full-length interview on our YouTube channel.

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