Joshu - Way Back Home EP 
Release Date: 22nd January 2025
I'm fairly sure that Joshu is the first artist from Antigua that I've ever (knowingly) reviewed but based on this I might have to take a trip to check out more music from the island. The 'Way Back Home' EP opens with the super laid back (did you expect anything else?) 'Holding On' which bobs along gently with sublime but understated vocals and a guitar sound that makes you want to just sit by a camp fire and watch the waves do their thing. Title track 'Way Back Home' has a gorgeous picked melody that puts me in mind of Avert Francis or Elliot Smith while Joshu's voice takes delicate vulnerability to a new level.
The strum'n'whistle of 'Morning Eyes' is as soothing as it is catchy while 'Honey In The Dark' dances and weaves with a lazy but unpredictable energy like embers rising up into the night sky. This short but sublime collection ends with 'Remind Me To Stay', a song with a sad country heart and slide guitar to match it. Fans of Jack Johnson and Ben Howard will enjoy the music of Joshu but this is a 2020s take on the minimalist island sound so if your soul is in need of some soothing then this is the music for you.
More information: https://www.instagram.com/hellojoshu/