Joseph Bell – Head Straight (2023)
If Ed Sheeran were to have a child with Hozier, the chances are likely it would be Joseph Bell. Intimate, vulnerable and spine-chilling, there is a softness in Bell’s music as well as a hard-hitting indie-rock sound underlying the melodies. Sharing his unique blend of indie-folk, pop and indie-rock, Joseph Bell has been on the scene for almost three years featuring on When The Horn Blows, Independent Music Reviews, BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, iHeart Radio and various playlists. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘Head Straight’.
Dubbed a “musical bubble-bath for the soul” (BBC Introducing Shropshire), Joseph Bell’s melodies engulf listeners in a warm but hazy sonic blanket. Following the well-received single ‘Lost Souls’, ‘Head Straight’ is Bell’s first release since 2021. Acoustic-inspired, there is a simplicity implied beneath the arrangement; however, its tone is more kaleidoscopic despite the mellifluous mellowness of ‘Head Straight’.
What I find intriguing about the instrumentation in ‘Head Straight’ is how it is laidback with a calming tone but simultaneously tosses you about in a frenzied rage. Produced with his friend Mark (Mybe), Bell wanted an arrangement with “…moments of calm and moments that felt overwhelming…” and he appears to have achieved this with ‘Head Straight’. One second you are relaxing and taking in the world but then Bell appears to rattle your being as if shaking you in a cloth bag.
Just as the name suggests, ‘Head Straight’ is about keeping your head while facing growing up. It touches on self-discovery but in a vulnerable, intensely intimate way. Bell explains that he “…wrote this song at a time when I was feeling constantly anxious about who I was and what I was supposed to be doing. I think it’s important to be kind to yourself and give yourself space to breathe…”
Sincere, sentimental and introspective, Joseph Bell releases his intriguing track ‘Head Straight’.
For more from Joseph Bell, check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
