THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM EARTH TO JOSH

The psychedelic rock project Earth to Josh (Joshua Kent) from Australia’s North Coast NSW, has recently released his debut album Josh to Earth. Five years in the making, the album is a show stopping example of what musical exploration can produce for a solo artist in the form of an ambient musical landscape. The album itself is an accumulation of Kent's journey through self-acceptance and understanding the world around him. Drawing inspiration from acts like Tame Impala, Josh has managed to create an ultra unique sound within this album that perfectly sums up the journey of trying to ground oneself in the midst of life’s relentless chaos. The title itself holds much significance, with Josh describing it as “coming to terms with reality, getting out of my head and into real life,”

In the grand scheme of things, five years is a long time for a creative project. Built on life's teachings that have helped him understand himself, the album is truly an interesting experience to listen to. It forces listeners to question oneself, egos, trauma, relationships and thought processes. Josh explains. “There have been so many teachings over the past five years that have helped me understand myself and the world, and I felt that ‘Josh to Earth’ was a funny but fitting title.”

Josh to Earth manages to blend so many aspects of songwriting and melodic accompaniment from many genres, that I personally think it really stands out as a release this year. From soft guitar arrangements to loud drums and strong synths, this album has everything. It gives off 2010s alternative rock vibes and strong psychedelic elements that I don’t think have been done in a while. Honestly, the combination of strong lyricism and multi-instrumentalist talent from Josh is refreshing. Touching on personal growth, dissociation and the intricacy of society, Josh has managed to create an album all about the process of healing. He describes his songwriting as a form of self-talk, and once you listen to these lyrics you find yourself actively listening to a powerful thought process that I believe to be therapeutic in the best way possible.

The album's focus track, ‘In The Air,’ starts off with a stunning guitar riff, setting the tone of the track as an uplifting anthem that Josh says serves as a reminder to have hope and believe in oneself. “It’s basically a g-up song for myself or anyone needing a bit of hope,”. The song drifts into that classic psych-rock style with echoey lyrics and spacey synths before crashing down into a strong drum line and powerful electric guitar chords. If you ever want to be completely transported to a whole new universe, this is the song for you. Personally I love it. I like to put this track on when I want to dissociate and think about all the things I want to do in life, and with lyrics such as “Believe me oh it’s there, You can feel it in the air. Don’t you ever lose sight” It's hard not to smile at all the possibilities life can have for you once the song ends.

The first track featured on the album happens to be ‘Alive’ which I think perfectly introduces what’s to come. With layers upon layers of resonating guitar patterns it blends effortlessly into a strong beat that’ll have your head bopping. Half way through the song, there's a powerful switch to a simple acoustic guitar, combined with lyrics such as “Cause it takes a toll on me and you” it

adds an element of reflection before dropping back into the original beat with an overwhelming sense of power. My favorite part of this song has to be the drums. They’re strong, intricate and loud that they just add a whole new level of appeal. Josh spoke on the song by saying “When I was making this tune I imagined heaps of people standing outside a venue and if we came on with something really loud people would want to come in, and as soon as they do we could drop it right back to nothing and really grab their attention.” I encourage you to grab some headphones, pop this on and quite literally be sucked into the world of Joshua Kent.

Next up, we’ve got ‘Run’. A simply beautiful song with a relatable message. Josh explains it with “I couldn’t understand how everyone around me just accepted the idea that you have to spend 80 percent of your time doing stuff you don’t want to do just because ‘that’s the way it is’. I wondered, what if we all had the opportunity to really make the most of this beautiful and rare experience we call life.” When I listen to this song it’s very possible I've overanalyzed it but I think that it has just created a deeper meaning for myself. The beginning of the song features a repetitive guitar picking pattern that I like to think represents the repetitive nature that life can hold over us, with all the “things that we don’t want to do”. As the song quite literally expands, it grows into something so much more complex, which I interpret as the “opportunity of making the most of life” being musically represented, and boy, has Josh done an incredible job at it. With lyrics that beautifully trail on like “We can run away from here” you are once again transported into a state of reflection about life's possibilities. The guitar riffs are my favorite, they bounce off each other to create a whole new sound.

My favorite track on the album follows next. “Bring Me Down” was written on a 12 string acoustic with Josh admitting “I have it tuned to this odd tuning so I have no idea what I’m doing, but that's just the fun of it. I often feel like I write the best songs when I have no idea what I’m doing because it forces me to write purely with feel.” This song has nothing but “feel” that resonates heavily. The country-esk beginning draws you in first with its twang, followed by powerful lyrics such as “Think that you know someone, but they only show you what they want to show you”. I feel as though this song brings on a lot of self reflection and ultimately self-discovery, possibly within relationships and connection with others as well. This tune reminds me that there's no right way of thinking and sometimes you have to hit rock bottom or “touch the ground” to reach new heights.

“Free to Think” shifts from the previous tracks' established sounds. Reminds me of acts such as Mako Road, Ocean Alley and a bit of Lime Cordiale. Poetic within its lyricism, this track's melodic accompaniment highlights the words that are being said, with little easter eggs of melodic emphasis on specific vowels. True to its title, the lyrics are Josh simply expressing what he is free to think. The beginning is soft before growing into a multi-layered surf-rock tone. “This one is definitely my favourite off the record, and it’s actually the oldest song too being almost 4 years old now. I just love how classic it sounds, I have no idea what radio frequency my head was tuned into that day but I immediately knew it was something.” - Earth to Josh.

Track 6 “Trust your Eyes” fades into a grungier guitar tone before leaping back into the familiar psych-rock sound of the album. I must admit this track is groovy. With segments in a much higher voice register, it's a ride for your ears. The song is all about trusting your instincts, judgement, and of course, your eyes. With Josh saying “I just want people to make their own

judgements and stop taking people’s words for things, or believing what they see on a phone or tv screen over what they could see with their own eyes.” I had it on repeat during a period of time this year and couldn't help but notice that the lyrics forced me to reflect, see people for who they truly are and the world we all live in. This song cemented some ideas in my head, specifically actions that you see will always speak louder than words, so remember “always trust your eyes, we can see the lies”.

“I Tried to Love Her” comes in strong with a fragmented intro, perfectly implementing rests and silences. I like to think that the intro of this song is symbolic for the push and pull within some relationships. The song fades into a softer tone which introduces the relatable lyrics. The bass groove within this song is perfect, forcing listeners on a journey. Each bar flows and strings together to create a cohesive story. Lyrics such as “Who you think you are” and “you’ve opened up the door in my head” resonate heavily and leave one thinking about connection and relationships. Josh spoke on the song describing it as “An interesting situation I found myself in a few years ago. Writing this song was the only way I could really deal with it.”

Next up is “Lost In Time”. The beginning is heavy on that psychedelic feel for the first minute of the song. The synths in the beginning flow seamlessly into the strumming guitar, before establishing a softer beat. The texture of this track amazes me, as the chorus picks up it loops back to elements implemented throughout the whole album. Lyrics such as “You slip away like you always do, lost in time” slap you in the face with memories. The bridge of the song also adds another layer of interest. Mainly melodic, it builds and builds before signifying the switch to the outro where Josh’s lyrics come back in. Josh describes it as an all too familiar feeling “It’s that dissociated state you find yourself in when everything you thought was true turns out to be a lie, and you keep trying to figure out what’s real.”

“All my Love” begins with an acoustic guitar signalling the softer, breezier tone for the track. Not as complex as the others within the album, its beauty lies in its simplicity. Combined with strong lyricism such as “To make up or to live in regret, days go by but it’s always the same” It creates, what I would describe as a “spacier” vibe. This is the perfect song for driving late at night with the windows down and a desire to think about everything that’s happened in your life. Josh spoke on the power of the song, stating “It’s funny how music can bring up feelings you’ve repressed for years, this song was that for me. It hurts but it’s still beautiful to relive those memories and experience those deep emotions again.”

Last but definitely not least we have “Forget. Believe”. Another softer tune for the album that mainly features a calming guitar pattern. Accompanied with some incredibly comforting lyrics this song is an anthem that life will always be crazy but it’ll be okay. Josh describes it as “A concluding thought that everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to, to forget my worries and just to believe in myself.” My favourite part of this song has to be the lyrics. They’re powerful, relatable and honestly poetic. When I listen to this song it reminds me of guided meditation and grounds one immediately. Lyrics such as “Forget, believe, for we have time, receive, regain, control” echo in my head like a spiritual mantra.

Overall I think it's clear to say I loved this album. It’s powerful, it’s deep and most importantly it's real. ‘Earth to Josh’ has evidently channeled his whole soul, beliefs and mindsets into this astonishing album. Due to its relatability and all the insane melodic elements that have been recorded and layered to produce a retelling of life, I think this album is slowly becoming one of my favoourites. I think there's something rather comforting about an album specifically targeted at figuring out who you are in this crazy world. Reminds you that not everyone is alone in trying to figure shit out, we always have music. ‘Earth to Josh’ is definitely a name to watch out for, and I for one can not wait for what’s next.