Track of the Week | Joshua Burnside | Whiskey, Whiskey

"I've had my fair share of conversations with twisted metal and broken glass, but if lightning is gonna strike me twice, this time I'm gonna do it right."

Where do you start with Joshua Burnside? The enigmatic, alt-folk songwriter is somewhat an alien force these days. Since 2018's award winning breakout 'Ephrata', he has traveled the globe, been streamed in the millions online and offered precious little clues as to when a new LP may appear. He played the wandering folk song 'Nothing For Ye' at a live session in Austin, Texas, a hint perhaps that whilst his last full body of work took place primarily in Columbia, this time around he may be looking inward for inspiration. 'Whiskey, Whiskey' adds credence to this theory.

When Joshua Burnside paints images of the end of the world, their detail is awe inspiring. The professor sipping cold coffee and dreaming of the end in 'The Good Word', pastors and saints showing no fear in 'Blood Drive'. It's a rare gift to be as equally adept at portraying your own psyche, like the hauntingly beautiful 'Man of High Renown', or indeed any number of songs off the 'All Round The Light Said' EP. 'Whiskey Whiskey' is Joshua Burnside's most confessional song to date, meandering along finger-picked strings that sound and feel like a bicycle wheel in motion, or a vintage film projector. The low-key production and cavernous electronic intro ramp up the intensity before 'Whiskey Whiskey' draws you into this new, claustrophobic world. Like a friend talking to you under the covers, or staring out the window of a transatlantic flight.

Here Burnside lays out his fear of flying. He turns to the cabin crew for signs of danger, an affirmation of his fright. It doesn't come, and he's instead forced to fight rationale on his own, in his head. He reasons, "If there's nowhere for our souls to go, then I don't want to be so sober, so..I don't wanna die sober."

How can anyone argue with that? A heartbreaking, triumphant introduction to a new era entirely his own. 

Taylor Johnson