Released back in May this year, Joe’s double A side More More Step / Make It Home is proving a good listen. To coincide with the release of his latest single Out Of My Mind coming out TODAY, we thought we would chat to Joe about all things music.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from and where did the journey into music start for you?
My name is Joe Hicks and I’m a singer-songwriter from Newbury in the south of England. I started playing guitar at the age of 9 after seeing a classical guitar performance in a primary school assembly and getting instantly hooked. I’ve been releasing my own solo music since 2017.
If you had to sum up your style in one word, what would you say?
Listenable
You recently released your new double A side – One More Step / Make It Home. What do these songs mean to you, as an artist?
Both songs are very much born out of the emotional rollercoaster that is pursuing a career in music, and so mean a lot as they are very close to home. On a production side they are a great representation of my upcoming album being about leaning into the myriad of styles that influence my music.
Where did the inspiration come from for these songs?
‘One More Step’ was born out of the guitar riff leading into the chorus. Lyrically it’s about heading out into the world, working away at your craft and having moments where you wonder if it will all work out in the end. ‘Make It Home’ is about being out on that journey and feeling the need to let your loved ones know you’re still there for them.
What is something you learned during making these?
That you really have to listen to what a song needs to do it justice, not just blindly add things into a recording and hope for the best. ‘Make It Home’ required a lot of restraint to keep the layers down to a minimum to let the organic feel and sentiment shine through. ‘One More Step’ went the other way in that to get the groove to develop in a way that felt right, we added quite a lot of little keyboard, guitar and percussion moments. Ultimately the song is king in making a great recording, and these two are contrasting examples of ways to service that main objective. You don’t always need to use the full toolbox.
What advice would you give to those looking to make their own songs?
When the lightning strikes, try and stay in that moment for as long as possible. Inspiration can be as fleeting as a lunar eclipse, so make sure you’re out there on the roof with binoculars, some blankets, and a whole load of snacks. You don’t want to miss your chance to catch something great.
Any plans for any live shows coming up?
I’m currently booking a UK tour for November, a European tour for January and have the following shows already on sale:
31st July – Treehouse Festival, Oxfordshire
12th October – The Grace, London
26th November – Arlington Arts, Newbury
Where can we find out more about you?
I’m on all social media @joehicksmusic and my music is available to stream
on all good digital emporiums – all links can be found at www.joehicksmusic.com
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
My debut album ‘The Best I Could Do at The Time’ is out on the 23rd of September and I can’t wait for you to hear it! The engineer on the album, my friend Tom Millar, would also like you to know that he played a tea tray like a gong on track 3 – so worth listening out for that.
TrueStyleMusic 