Big big Sky
..., is a self-produced bedroom pop eccentric from rural England, crafting immersive, genre-bending pop songs. With a sound that draws inspiration from the likes of Tame Impala, Little Dragon, and LA Priest to name a few, BIG big SKY's music is a kaleidoscope of warm analogue synths, with guitars soaked in cavernous delays, guided by heartfelt melodic vocals.
Who is the artist behind "Big big Sky" and what were your first steps in music?
My name's Josh, I've been a performer and songwriter for as long as I can remember. It probably stems from growing up with no father and having my older brother as the main role model and male figure to look up to, he was massively into music too so I naturally gravitated towards it all as well!
I always experimented with my old tascam tape 4-track and loved the excitment of recording and creating music, the novelty of handing someone a tape or cd of something I'd made myself gave me a buzz.
I've played in a few bands, my main focus was one called 'Animal Noise' but I've always put my solo recordings and ideas to one side to give the band my full attention. BIG big SKY is a vessel for me to air all my unheard ideas and songs to whoever wants to listen.
I would call "Dust Palace" an amazing piece of Alternative Pop with an experimental spin, what's the story of the song?
Thank you! I think this one started with my old bandmate, Jack sending me drumbeat ideas he'd recorded on his phone. I heard this half-tempo beat and instantly felt inspired, I could already hear a deep warm synth bass line in my head and it all developed from there. With the guitars I had 'Maps' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and 'The Sweat Descends' by Les Savy Fav in my head and just soaked it in tape delay. The whole thing ended up sounding pretty down-beat and melancholy so the lyrics naturally swayed that way too.
Another highlight I would like to mention is your well balanced arrangement, when do you call a song "Ready for release"?
It's tough as a solo artist to have the discipline and confidence in what you're making to know when to stop and say enough! It's hard for me having spent so long playing as a collective in a band so I still need people to bounce ideas off before I feel ready to release it.
With this one, I was lucky that it just all fell into place and it took shape quickly and flowed organically. I decided I needed a fresh set of ears so I spent some time mixing it with my friend and talented producer Michael Hemmings, who helped really bring out all the key elements of the track.
You are a DIY-Artist, what's in your opinion the hardest part of "being Indie"?
I think being DIY is where I'm most comfortable- having control over everything I do. I'd be making these songs anyway whether I was releasing them or not because it's just what I love doing, getting creative and being on a roll with a new idea still gives me a buzz.
Where it gets hard is actually pushing yourself to get heard by a wider audience and everything involved on the promotion side, like being your own manager, agent, producer, marketing department, socials etc as well as balancing all that with retaining creativity and not neglecting the artistry that it all rests on.
If you take a look back, what would you call the last "big thing" in music?
It's a subjective thing really how you would measure the 'big thing'. But a big thing I've noticed is the rise of solo artists, often self-produced has been a continuous wave that keeps bringing new acts to the forefront. I still love bands but there's something equally special about the intimacy of hearing solo artist throw everything they've got into something and hearing the result.
What's next for you, what can we expect in the future?
I'll be releasing many more tracks and an EP over 2023, as well as live dates in UK later in the year.
