Identity, ambition, memory, and the shifting nature of personal relationships run through Remove The Name, the debut album from UK singer-songwriter Joshua Woo. Moving between contrasting musical moods, the self-produced collection considers the experiences and influences that shape who we become, from the effects of love and loss to technology and self-doubt.
A number of album tracks have already caught my ears, in the shoegaze-y single “Don’t You Forget It” and then album centerpiece “The Typewriter,” which enthralled in its swell from initial chamber-pop allure to synth-forward alt-rock vigor. The album’s other tracks match the high-quality songwriting and production apparent on those tracks. Right away, “Someone’s Star” delights in its rousing guitar work and spacey, frequency-like synth touches, bolstered by Woo’s dynamic lead presence. A heightened pitch in the “like a full moon, light up the night” segment is electric amidst the catching guitar lines, showing both melodic charisma and palpable emotion.
The ensuing “Wings” is another gem, weaving twinkling keys with nocturnal appeal as breathy performance elements arrive into Woo’s lead, compelling in its drive from dream-pop serenity to impactful synth-pop expression. “Leaving The Ground” stirs as well, its range from calming piano tones and deep-toned sampling lending to a hypnotic atmospheric pull. Concluding the album with fantastic songwriting, “Cut Me Loose” struts a yearning to be “cut loose” and “touch the sky,” as Joshua Woo and Avo Winter both provide excellent lead presences, both isolated and within an affirming duet. Consistent with the excellence of his past successes, Remove The Name is an excellent full-length from Joshua Woo.
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“Remove The Name” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
