“When I am feeling down,” Alexander Joseph sings on his uplifting track ‘Break Free, “I remember the pasture is new.”
Alexander Joseph is on a quest for greener pastures on his stirring latest single, ‘Break Free’. The uplifting folk song sees the UK-based singer-songwriter reflect on being stuck in a rut en route to his ultimate breakthrough.
Given his commitment to warm and leisurely folk, Joseph is accompanied by relatively sparse instrumentation, allowing both his vocals and his storytelling to take centre stage.
Rustic and seemingly pulled from a campfire-bound tale, the guitar melodies are instantly inviting, as if listeners are right there with Joseph as he performs.
While there’s a beauty to the simplicity of the instrumentation, Joseph adds textural flourishes, shimmering cymbals, rhythmic hand percussion and glittery tambourines.
The effect is altogether engrossing, providing a soundtrack as Joseph recalls the ebbs and flows of life. Much of this is owed to Joseph’s vocals, which are clearly sung from the hard and brim with a tangible sense of honesty.
Later, fiddle-like guitar strums further enrich Joseph’s sonic world, adding to his optimistic lyrics around breaking free of life’s obstacles.
Here, he sings of the “little demon [that] patrols” his psyche, speaking to the universal truth that is feelings of stagnation and aimlessness.
It’s within these moments that Joseph’s vulnerability and vivid storytelling steals the spotlight. He sings of “banging on the door” and lusting for the open road, but he isn’t one to wallow in misery.
While he muses on the feeling of being stuck, Joseph ultimately finds his direction and heads to greener pastures, with the track’s gradual build adding to this ultimate escape.
“Something’s stirring in me,” he pines, “I look to the horizon and appreciate the view.” It’s a message of hope amid life’s uncertainty that rushes through you like a tonic, and this transformative sentiment is felt throughout Joseph’s broader discography.
His latest EP ‘Stop and Breathe’ was released last year, and arrived in support of the impactful global reforestation work of ‘One Tree Planted’.
Such efforts are perhaps to be expected from an artist like Joseph, with ‘Break Free’ being the dose of optimism we could all do with right now.
Listen to Alexander Joseph’s new single ‘Break Free’ below.
