Over the last three years, Joshua Woo has gone from strength to strength as an independent artist. On the face of it, the very idea of going it alone seems like a daunting prospect - yet Woo has culminated a cult following on both Instagram (37k), TikTok (18k) and Twitch - streaming with his likeable, smooth collection of songs for his fans three days a week. 'Wings' is the latest track, and fits in seamlessly as Woo continues reaping the rewards from his multi-instrumental hard graft.
The newest song opens with an enchanting jingling sequence, before a simple bassline filters through, accompanied by a clean beat that injects a modern element. Joshua's relaxed vocals seep in - taking a direct, yet comforting address to set the basis for this gradual shift from despair to hope. "Are you walking slowly through this earth? / With one foot stuck in the dirt"
The song evolves and takes on this electronic spike in the chorus section - shuddering in futuristic static. Within this, there's a pleasant synth line that strays away to play in the background and this is something I found, nicely reminiscent of early-Blossoms or alternative analogue. As Joshua sings of hope: the subject slowly looks to find their wings. Where once they even stretched as far as envying the birds, there is this promise "And I know it's hard to be / You will get your wings / you will fly". A subtle touch behind these lyrics, is this almost-vocoded stature the chord progression moves through.
The song closes off with a tasteful descending, further analogue sequence and drives this euphoria-fuelled song to a conclusion nicely. It's no wonder two of Woo's singles, 'Beyond The Glass' and 'Sunflower Seeds', have gained radio play on BBC Introducing. As his creative arsenal grows, it's no surprise either, that he has been featured in publications such as Clash, Clout and Obscure Sound amongst many others.
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