The longer you live in Nashville, the more often you come across artists that have transplanted from all over the world. What was once solely the home of country music has flourished into a beacon of all-things-music shining to the ends of the earth.
In the case of indie-pop artist, Josh Rennie-Hynes, that light was seen all the way in Australia.
Born in a sub-tropical area of “The Land Down Under”, Josh grew up on a farm surrounded by two things: music and cattle. His father played in a trio in Josh’s formative years while he recalls his mother constantly playing records, creating an eclectic soundtrack for his childhood.
It was that sonic influence that lead Josh to spend his teenage years playing in bands and finding himself in songwriting.
Fast forward to years later when Rennie-Hynes would be given a songwriting residency from the Australian arts counsel.
Next stop, Nashville.
“I get asked often why I would want to move here from Australia,” Josh said in an interview with Bridge, “but people don’t realize what a hub Nashville is. People from all over the world dream of coming here to be a part of it.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Since his arrival in Music City, the artist has found himself branching outside of the boundaries he was operating in back home. He stretched his legs outside of the songwriting space he was so accustomed to. “I felt I needed to fly the nest a bit,” he said, “I’ve been able to explore so many different things since moving to the U.S.”
One of those projects is his upcoming album “Night/Shade.” Largely inspired by the electronic music he was listening to at the time, Josh partnered up with friend and producer Kyle Henderson who approached him with an idea. “One day, he said “Hey, I have this new style of writing that I want to try with you.” It was a style being used by writers in Sweden and LA and really taps into the flow-state kind of approach.”
This new style saw Rennie-Hynes following his instinct, then going back to dial in to the ideas that had come up in the moment. “It was totally different than anything I’ve ever done,” he said, “It really freed me up in a lot of ways to explore the melodies and hooks and write in that flow-state.”
The Australian artist released a single from the LP, “Morning Stars” on January 19th to a warm welcome. It’s Psychedelic Baby said, “Morning Stars’ shows Rennie-Hynes doing what he does best, creating songs that capture your imagination and show a true depth to his writing and artistic inclinations… continues his knack of writing songs that linger long after the first listen.”
This reception comes as no surprise as past releases garnered praise from publications like Rolling Stone, who described his past work as “Exquisite, shimmering guitar colors and fine lyrical details. 4 out of 5 stars.”
One thing is for certain, Josh Rennie-Hynes is a welcomed addition to Nashville. While many genres exist within the city, it is dominated by country and southern rock, so when excellence in one of the smaller genres emerges, it turns heads.
“I came here more of a songwriter and the longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve pushed myself to go away from that, to explore more.”
And we are glad he has.
Josh’s smooth vocals are only the cherry on top of a delight of profound lyricism and creative musicianship soaked in much-needed authenticity. In the 615’s sea of constantly releasing music, Rennie-Hynes is a gem that can only continued to be both uncovered and cherished.
Check out Josh’s upcoming residency at the 5 Spot in Nashville March 8th and 15th where he will be performing all new songs. In addition, be sure to follow his journey with his newly formed trio “River Boys”
