It's been a common theme of music criticism for the past decade or so.
International terrorism, the war on terror and near daily reports of instability and atrocities have not resulted in anti-war songwriting, in any kind of dissent. Even more curiously, the language of these conflicts has not filtered down into the shapes, the sounds of new music.
Josh Record, though, seems unconcerned by this. Debut EP 'Bones' was a fine introduction, bonding Record's effortless, billowing falsetto with a tender production sense which seemed to focus attention on his voice.
Follow up EP 'The War' is an impressive return. The title track made its debut on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show last night (June 26th), with the New Zealand presenter swiftly naming it as 'The Hottest Record In The World'.
Rather than take a broad sweep of geopolitical conflict, 'The War' is about as intimate as it's possible to be. Honing in on the vagaries of a relationship, on the jealousies and difficulties which keep us apart Josh Record picks apart a very real sense of conflict – the fuel which fires an internal war.
As the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg once put it: "when will we end the human war?"
Listen to it now.
'The War' is set to be released on August 26th.
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