The Joshua Hotel shares his new single « Somebody New »
THE JOSHUA HOTEL
NEW SINGLE “SOMEBODY NEW”
NO BIG DEAL RECORDS
The latest work from the alias of Scottish solo songwriter and producer
Joshua Mackenzie
is an understated, melancholy pop masterclass.
Written and recorded at his home studio deep in the
Highlands of Scotland
and loosely inspired by the peerless score of the 2010 film
Drive
, “Somebody New” is a spacious and contemplative listen that thrives on isolation.
A song of separation told in reverse, “
Somebody New
” takes the listener deep into the aftermath of a difficult break-up. Sung from the cool shadows that set-in long after the heat of the moment has passed, The Joshua Hotel retraces the moments that brought a relationship to its end. Narrated with that sense of clarity that is gifted only with hindsight, it finds an artist lost in the what-ifs and whys, and wondering whether things could have worked out differently.
As
The Joshua Hotel
reflects of the track:
“”Somebody New” deals with the end of a complicated relationship. It gives a brutally honest account of looking back at the mistakes and mishandling of emotions that led to heartbreak and fantasising about everything you would change if somehow you could relive it all with the newfound clarity and growth of hindsight.”
Pairing the drifting, reverb-washed productions of
Chromatics
or
The XX
, with the immersive bedsit confessionals of 80s forebears like
Soft Cell
or
Chris Isaac
, it’s a release as crisp and modern as it is timeless and poetic.
Written and produced by
The Joshua Hotel
, “Somebody New” was mixed and mastered by
Jason Shaw
(Cambodian Space Project).
“Somebody New” follows The Joshua Hotel’s
debut EP, ‘Closet Romantic
’, which was released earlier this Autumn. Once the vocalist of
Inverness
indie outfit
Lional
, the singer set out his solo stall with a diverse collection of tracks that diverged into electronica, psychedelic dream-pop and lo-fi. Turning over a new leaf, its tender songs chronicled the ups-and-downs of navigating life, relationships and battles with mental health with an honest relatability.
The Joshua Hotel kicked off 2021 with the release of debut single ‘The Moments’, which was included in
BBC Introducing Scotland
’s pop- out playlist and received support from
BBC Rapal, Vic Galloway and Jim Gellatly
; with lo-fi synth-pop infused follow-up ’I don’t want to go’ also receiving praise from the likes of
Tenement TV
who hailed it as:
“retro and nostalgic, slightly left-field yet heartfelt and refreshing.”
Capping off an active year for the rising Scottish talent, he now joins the roster of
Charlie Clark’s No Big Deal Music
to release “Somebody New”; a label which aims to showcase the most essential new talent emerging from the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
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