Joshua Thomas is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. He released his first EP in 2014 and has subsequently released numerous singles leading up to a new EP entitled “Demons” out on June 3, 2022. Thomas has toured extensively, supporting artists like Adrianne Lenker, Twain, and Buck Meek. His work has been compared to that of John Grant, Anohni, and Rufus Wainwright. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
Demons were recorded in early spring 2021. The pandemic isolation that had taken its toll on so many artists had somehow turned into a fruitful time for me, creatively. I had these four songs and no venue in which to perform them for the foreseeable future, so I called my friend Ryan Oxford and we spent a couple of days in his studio, The Center for Sound Light and Color.
The first three tracks of this EP center around the loss of a relationship before culminating in a loss of self on the final track, Peace Song. The loss of self was really a consequence of the isolation, the pandemic — the realization that the relationship itself was so much smaller than the loss of community, live performance, collaboration, and even human touch.
Check out the new track “Heavy” which is an echoey and divine acoustic folk number that creates illustrious soundscapes and haunting yet thought-provoking results. Incorporating the hushed folk of Sam Beam of Iron and Wine, Thomas proves less is more on this graceful new song off his haunting new EP.
