All the way from Adelaide, South Australia, Josh Kroehn has been establishing his authentic sound for many years. Starting at a young age, Josh was always interested in music and then discovered the musical catalogs of his parents. His influences including singer/songwriters like Ben Howard and Dallas Green (City and Colour) as well as alternative rock bands like Radiohead and Pearl Jam. With the release of his debut EP “Something I’ve Found” there are a number of reasons to keep an eye on Josh as he continues down the artist's path.
“Josh’s music delves into a world where his guitar playing creates textures that carry, conflict and challenge his vocal tones and colours in biographical confessionals.”
“Something I’ve Found” comes in hot from the offset with an introductory track titled “Processed Life”. The song offers an underlying sentiment that seems fairly inspiring and of depth, inviting the listener to consider these ideas, and to feel the embrace of the music as its weight and intensity fills the room. The resulting effect is hopefully that you feel as if there’s a certain power or possibility within you with the intention and purpose of Kroehn’s lyrics. “Here I Burn” follows the opener and immediately changes things up. The lyrics stand tall, this catchy melody and the references feel extremely vulnerable and appealing for their desire to connect with their listeners. The lightness of the music captures your affection and Josh Kroehn’s voice is contagious and very genuine to listen to. At about one and a half minutes in, the music evolves into an intense ballad. Josh Kroehn delivers captivating vocals and a burning passion for the art form.
With the next track “Don’t Fight” there’s an apparent sadness but it’s intertwined with optimism and a hopeful search for the future. The song takes you on a journey with it, loaded with imagery and self-reflection, you feel enjoyably involved in the experience as a listener. “Don’t Fight” is an absolute highlight and a definite personal favorite. A simple yet addictive melody is accompanied by intriguing, questioning lyrics, and the minimalist strum of a guitar.
To finish off an incredible project, “Back in Time” is another highlight! Gorgeously ethereal vocals entrance the listener, while deeply considerate and honest lyrics drive a concept through. You get so much clarity from this project as if these are the songs that had to be sung, the thoughts that had to be shared. “Something I’ve Found” features incredibly expressive lyrics and delicious melodies, plus a musical build-up that intensifies superbly. Josh’s vocal tone and the style of these songs offer a distinct thread throughout, mood-wise though there’s plenty of eclecticism at work, and for these reasons, this EP makes for a wonderful playlist to escape within. The musicianship on this project is consistently flawless, well done Josh Kroehn!
Check out “Something I’ve Found” here and read more with Josh Kroehn below!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Josh Kroehn! Congratulations on your new EP! Can you tell us more about your intentions when you first began to curate your recent project“Something I’ve Found”?
Thank you for having me! My intention was purely to put out a debut EP that I was proud of and hopefully is a true representation of who I am as an artist to listeners.
You've had such a strong love and passion for music for many years! How do you think you and your music have grown since you first started writing, versus now?
When I was in my teens I was mostly into heavier genres of music, led by my obsession with the guitar and being into bands like Metallica and Rage Against The Machine. Due to personal circumstances and life events, I started to seek out sadder music and came across artists such as City and Colour and Bon Iver, which led me to start writing more Folk influenced music. In 2014 my Mum paid for me to get some singing lessons which were a surprise birthday present and this is when I started thinking that I could give the whole singer/songwriter thing a go. Since then there have been a few records that have had a major influence on my current sound. Ben Howard’s ‘I Forget Where We Were’ (2014), Julien Baker’s ‘Sprained Ankle’ (2015) and Radiohead’s ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ (2016) really connected with me and made me want to make music that is cathartic for me personally, and hopefully other people can share a similar experience when listening.
"Processed Life" is the perfect track to open up your recent album. Where did you draw inspiration for this particular track?
This was a track I wrote while I was still at Uni in a degree program that I wasn’t overly enjoying and had pushed music to the side. It’s about escaping what felt like being trapped in a process to me. The music itself with the abrupt dynamics suited the vibe I was going for with this song, and I wanted people to sit up and take notice of the first track.
"Here I Burn" is flooded with absolute passion and emotion. What emotions were crucial to channel when creating this song?
“Here I Burn” is another track written a while ago, and it's simply about doubting myself and not thinking I’m good enough to do what I love. So I was channeling emotions from a negative, sad place where I didn’t really enjoy being, but it made for a cathartic personal song for me.
Thank you so much for sharing your new music with us! What else are you working on going forward? Do you have any upcoming shows to promote the new EP?
I’m currently in the early stages of recording a debut full-length album, which I’m super excited about, as I’ve always been an album front to back kind of listener. I have my EP launch show at The Jade here in Adelaide this Friday, October the 11th, with doors opening at 8 pm.