Josh Hazelden – For You (2023)
At the age of 9, singer-songwriter Josh Hazelden started playing the guitar, as a teenager he began writing songs, and since then he has been going from strength to strength. Hailing from the UK, Hazelden has shared the stage with artists like Paul Thomas Saunders and Dutch Criminal Record, as well as performing at festivals like Icebreaker Festival in Portsmouth. Alongside his popular gigs, Hazelden has been garnering a following with coverage on BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, and Radio X. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘For You’.
Following his single ‘Sprungpunk’, Josh Hazelden enters 2023 with his song ‘For You’. Penned as a ballad for his partner, Hazelden explains that he “…wanted to write a genuine love song for my partner that helps me express how I feel about them.” Charming and enchanting, the single capture your breath and swirls you about with its heart-warming ambience – the perfect feeling for that heady giddiness of being in love.
As with ‘Sprungpunk’, there is a hint of Radiohead about ‘For You’; however, unlike his previous work, the new single is more soothing, calming and soft in its harmonic tone. Interestingly enough, while the verses are played along a soft indie-rock sound, Hazelden tips everything on its head with the eclectic chorus. Pushing the haunting tone of the Pixies and Radiohead, the instrumentation breaks forth in a bold arrangement during the chorus as Hazelden’s vocals take a backseat before stepping forward once again. It is this intriguing arrangement that illustrates Hazelden’s diversity and innovation as a musician, producer and artist.
One aspect I need to share in this review is the obscurity of Josh Hazelden’s production. It is not only that he adopts a DIY approach in the production, but that the entire song was recorded on his iPhone. The instruments were recorded in his bedroom and the vocals in a car. All I know is while sophisticated flow exists in ‘For You’, there is also a naïve innocence to it. Perhaps it is the fact that everything was done using an iPhone that brings this rawness to Hazelden’s track.
For more from Josh Hazelden, check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
