Coming out of Asheville, North Carolina, singer-songwriter Josh Phillips stands as one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Formerly the frontman of Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, he’s spent the past decade crafting songs that explore life’s deeper moments while maintaining an air of positivity and hope. While his earlier work with Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band was all about rallying crowds for a funk-filled party, Josh Phillips has since transitioned into a more reflective phase of his musical journey.
First sharing his own sound in 2022 with his debut EP, Never Ready, 2023 saw him follow up with a single and his first record, Starts to Rain. This year he’s continued his prolific creative output with the single “Bob and Weave” with Big Something and his sophomore album titled How It Is.
Bringing us his latest single, he shares the title track from the LP with “How It Is,” a song that sees Josh Phillips link up with with Rebekah Todd, Rahm Squad and Thommy Knoles. “How It Is” serves up a poignant indie rock ballad that speaks to the relatable experience of heartbreak and the journey toward acceptance.
Throughout the song, listeners are transported into a world of longing and melancholy, where the artist’s desperate urgency to make sense of a failed relationship offers a powerful and moving listening experience. Brought in by a smokey arrangement of fuzzy guitar leads, the laid back punch of drums and pulse of bass notes, Josh’s impassioned vocals enter to spin compelling melodic leads above the hazy sonic fabric.
Brimming with emotion and delivered with soulful flair, the song flows with delicate ebb and flow, with dreamy stripped back moments broken by the crash of drums as the stunning chorus delivers an enchanting indie rock sound. Peppered with slick lead guitar notes and underpinned by stretched organ textures, “How It Is” offers an epic slice of Josh Phillips’ thrilling sound. With his next record Everything’s Good set to drop in July, Josh Phillips is sure to continue going from strength to strength as a talented artist with a unique musical vision.
Listen to How It Is below
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