Josh Desure is a rising singer/songwriter and musician, best known as Desure. His forthcoming EP Still Blue reportedly sees Desure further cementing a growing reputation for preferring the spaces between genres with the EP featuring genre-bending material that makes room for 808 drum machines, vintage synths, organic instruments and the sharply-written hooks that have long-anchored his work.
Playing an important role in Still Blue EP‘s overall sound and aesthetic is an eclectic cast of collaborators including Jonathan Tyler, Midland‘s Cameron Duddy, Nikki Lane and producer/chart-topping songwriter Joe Janiak. Desure and his collaborators spent days at studio with the goal of pairing Desure’s organic songwriting with something truly unexpected. The end result is an EP that’s autobiographical but also pairs old-school nostalgia with an emphasis on modern and adventurous arrangements.
Interestingly despite his sonic and stylistic distance from Country music, Desure’s songwriting and live performances have caught the attention of the likes of Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Midland, and Jamestown Revival, playing opening slots for each of those artists on their respective US tours. The rising singer/songwriter and musician has made the rounds of the Stateside festival circuit with stops at Ohana, Bumbershoot, Pilgrimage, and Wonderfront. And building upon a growing profile, the rising artist’s Still Blue EP is slated for a February 17, 2023 release through Range Music/Virgin Label Services.
The EP’s latest single “Draw From Memory” is a slow-burning ballad that pairs a bit of old-school country twang and atmospheric synth pop with Desure’s knack for well-placed, razor-sharp hooks. But the song is rooted in earnest lyrics inspired by lived-in experience: The song’s narrator talks of the difficulties of having a life that has him on the road, of missing his love desperately while being on the road — and of his hope that their love will endure.
“I wrote this song on tour in the U.K. in my green room before soundcheck. I remember playing it at soundcheck and my friend Mark being moved by it. He asked what song that was and I let him know I just got done writing it for my wife while I was missing her during tour,” Desure explains. “My favorite songs come to me like that. When I sit down and play a few chords and it all flows together. I also love it because it’s another song I wrote for my wife to remind us that we can endure anything together.”
Directed by Desure, the accompanying video features the rising artist, singing and dancing by himself in front of VHS fuzz and psychedelic backgrounds.
