Jammin' W/ Josey

Josey is an artist that lives on the wild side of things. If she isn’t playing beats for a mosh pit of weirdos with cool hair she’s running around Athens doing odd jobs, hanging out with friends, and honing her craft. Josey spent a brief stint in college and during this time she had found she had a lot of time alone in her dorm room, and working nights at snelling left her days wide open, so she started creating.

A true bedroom pop artist in its purest sense, Josey’s warm synths and cute drum sound effects define the sound signature I will dub "Cute Josey". This is the sound that Josey originally found herself most comfortable with. Her early work lives in the same realm as the Animal Crossing soundtracks. Cute, contained, and irresistible. Warm synths and beautiful bleeps and bloops support Josey’s signature sound. "Beautiful", "Wait", and "Kat" are amazing examples of this era/sound.

"Cute Josey", "Jo$ey Bada$$", and "Hyperpop Josey" are the three stages in Josey’s metamorphic life as an artist. Jo$ey Bada$$ is the hallmark sound of her second full length release Dumb. While originally a ploy to gain producer work, Dumb became a banging album. This project in particular shows off some of her sampling skills. "Art" is a staple of my playlists with its smart and exciting rhymes and references.

After she released her first 4 projects, Better, Dumb, I Love You, and Couple More Songs, all within one calendar year. Josey proceeded to release a sister album to Better, jokingly called Worse. Taking many of the same sonic motifs of Cute Josey, Worse is Better but much more polished. You could say that Worse is better than Better, but that doesn't really mean that Better is the worst. In my opinion, that title is held by Apocalypse Now.

This is the era I first encountered Josey in. In a drunken haze, I stumbled upon Josey rockin out to a crowd of weirdos with cool hairdos. She was improving lyrics and riffs over a dance beat, and it was fun, funky, and fresh. Intense dissonance, and goofy lines shrieked at the listener defined this performance.

Although this style allowed her to fly solo, and put out a crazy party energy, her music soon became loose, aimless, and just… not Josey. Josey claims Soul/R&B legends such as Stevie Wonder have been her biggest inspirations, and this influence shows. She does best when her piano skills are used for smooth, sultry licks. Hyperpop Josey was the opposite of this. Though brash and aggressive stylings have worked for her before with Dumb, she herself agrees that it's not the sound she aims to represent herself with.

ever since her latest album "Apocalypse Now" Josey entered the dreaded Flop Era. Following the death of SOPHIE Josey felt a need to create like those who she looked up to. Artistic fervor defined this era, and that fact is obvious in everything that she did. She made the album out of a deep mortal fear and this is not only admirable, but also helps put Apocalypse Now in a new light.

Apocalypse Now itself is an acquired taste, originally I found it laughable how weird and dissonant it sounded, yet the more I become acquainted with Josey and her work the more it all makes sense. Certain songs still fall flat for me though. “Breakdown” and “Algorithm Crush” both have redeeming qualities, don't get me wrong, but these are some of her songs that will never touch my playlists. They are grating, loose, and seemingly the antithesis of fun. “Dumb Now Flip” and “Music or Sex Song” are the best parts of this era. They are brash, and beautiful. “Music or Sex Song” is an amazing example of the intimate glimpses into Josey’s life and experiences that defines her music.

The thing that suffered most from Hyperpop Josey and her flop era, however, were her live shows. Josey is an amazing pianist, to the point where when my friend first heard her band play he immediately commented on her skills. Despite this, her performances usually drove people from the dancefloor to the bar. The danceable beats were overshadowed by her note vomit improv.

This is the point at which we reach today. Josey, like a phoenix from the ashes, rose from her flop era and has begun an era I like to call, Cool Cat Josey. She truly shines when she gets into a jazz flow, her understanding of the keyboard is powerful and commanding. Though she has yet to release any recordings from this new era of hers, I excitedly await the arrival on Spotify. I see that Josey has made her mark on the Athens music scene, in the way that Pylon is beloved, I soon see Josey becoming a staple for those of us truly in the underground.