TikTok – X/Twitter – Instagram – Facebook – YouTube – Spotify – Apple
JOSH RENNIE-HYNES / LIGHT/SHADE LP (OUT OCT. 27)
Australian born, now five-year Nashville resident, indie-pop/dreampop artist Josh Rennie-Hynes’ new album LIGHT/SHADE (out Oct. 27) explores his artistic boundaries, moving from Americana singer-songwriter fare into a more electronic realm—doing what he does best, creating songs that linger long after the first listen. He’s been covered at Rolling Stone, Bridge Magazine, Paste, No Depression, Atwood Magazine, Cowboys and Indians, American Songwriter and more. Authenticity is the defining aspect of Rennie-Hynes’ songs, they feel timeless and familiar while being uniquely his own.
LIGHT/SHADE was written during a period of extreme change and growth for Rennie-Hynes. It has a striking and urgent quality to it as Rennie-Hynes is not afraid to lay out his feelings. It makes you stop in your tracks and simply listen.
“I was falling in love when I was writing this album,” says Rennie-Hynes. “I was probably partying way too much. I was looking at the life I’d created here in a foreign country, away from all I’d known in Australia. I was questioning my boundaries and some of the people I’d surrounded myself with. This album helped me work through and process a lot of that.”
The album sees Rennie-Hynes diving deeper into electronic sounds with the help of his producer and collaborator Kyle Henderson. Together they wrote and recorded the album piece-by-piece over the course of six months, working almost daily on it. The result is an album that’s powerful yet vulnerable, intense yet reflective, deep yet accessible.
Songs like “Morning Stars” show his melodic prowess and romantic inclinations, paying homage to 90’s acts such as Dido with angelic strings wafting throughout. “Head in the Clouds” brings an intensity and spark similar to Post Malone, and includes a spoken word verse by his lover at the time. “When we Touch” feels like a song that could’ve been used in Ryan Gosling’s Drive, with a sexy and pulsating beat, and lyrics that question one’s choices in the later hours of the night. “Fucking with my Head” is a swelling and heavy-hitting track that relates to something we’ve all felt, not knowing up from and down, and being lost in in your thoughts. “Is it in the Water” is a summery track that bursts and emanates with sunshine and young love.
On the back of being awarded the Australian Arts Council’s prestigious Nashville Songwriters Residency, gifted to one Australian Artist a year, Rennie-Hynes relocated to the US in May 2018. He left behind a well-established solo career in his native country and his role as one half of The Ahern Brothers, a folk duo whose harmony-heavy debut album earned a four-star review from Rolling Stone and quickly garnered them a legion of fans throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Yet, Rennie-Hynes was looking for a change, in both musical direction and setting. Moving into the close-knit East Nashville community, Rennie-Hynes immersed himself in the inspiring and thriving creative scene taking place there. Since making the move in 2018 he’s released a slew of singles and two full-length albums Patterns (2019) and Day Rage (2022) adding to his already extensive catalogue of his self-titled album (2012), February (2014), and Furthermore (2016).
LIGHT/SHADE represents the dichotomy we all experience as human beings, the light and shade that all of us contain inside of ourselves. It’s Rennie-Hynes’ most bold and exploratory album to date. Artists must be willing to push beyond and outside their defined norms to grow and expand, and Rennie-Hynes has always done this. LIGHT/SHADE sees him move into a new space, artistically and stylistically. It’s exciting to see this growth, while at the core of these indie-pop and dreampop songs is that same artist striving for authenticity and honesty. This is what defines Josh Rennie-Hynes’ body of work.
Song credits:
Written by Josh Rennie-Hynes and Kyle Henderson
Produced & mixed by Kyle Henderson
Mastered by Ryan Schwabe
—
“Exquisite, shimmering guitar colors and fine lyrical details. 4 out of 5 stars.” – Rolling Stone
“Take the outrageous alt-pop flair from the outback and mix it with the pristine Nashville production and we get something that smells like Parcels bathing musically with Lord Huron… a contagious alt-pop banger that displays the artist’s tenacious knack for experimental pop and hooks.” – Glide
“Pushes the limits with lush pop arrangements over profoundly engaging songwriting. The music serves to uplift Rennie-Hynes soaring, honeyed vocals – just rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting.” – Ghettoblaster Magazine
“Leading with yearning, guitar tones that are instantly redolent of the song’s philosophical nature, the artist sells it with its wishful chorus, sifting through the ebb and flow that our lives all inherently produce.” – PopMatters
“Exemplifies the bright future of Nashville’s music scene.” – Lightning 100 (Nashville)
“Whimsical, bright, nostalgic, yet still a little edgy, this is a perfect song for the end of summer.” – Cowboys & Indians
“Josh Rennie-Hynes reminds us to be present with his latest roaring indie-rock gem. There is an authenticity to it. A true grit. A uniqueness that leaves you wanting more.” – Atwood Magazine
“A good sized portion of Neil Youngesque guitar fireworks… has a wonderful intimacy.” – Americana UK
