Josué Kinter releases his immersive sophomore record ‘Nightblooming’

Straight out of Phoenix, Arizona, the dream-pop solo project of Josué Kinter fuses country-Americana and gothic-rock to create a unique blend of genres that make for an utterly immersive listening experience.

‘Nightblooming’, the latest full-length project from Josué Kinter acts as his sophomore record in follow-up to 2019’s ‘Dreamy Draw’. Boasting ten delicately curated tracks, Kinter explores the meaning of life and the impermanency of love through lamentations of futility, whilst channelling the sounds of Scott Walker and Iggy Pop to produce his hypnotic, and delicate cuts. 

The entire record acts as a walking daydream through Kinter’s psyche, and this is evident through his use of lyricism and analogous descriptors.

The opening track ‘The Bad Sleep Well’ demands attention from the get-go, featuring enticing harmonies and a gripping electronic symphony that makes for an eerie soundscape. Despite the absence of vocals throughout the first half, the bold and woozy sound effects have an almost visual manifestation which perfectly sets the tone for the latter portion of the record. 

The second offering ‘There’ opens tightly veiled in an air of mystery. Driven by infectious and bold guitar lines, the euphoria-inducing instrumentation is topped by Ian Curtis-esque vocalisations that make way for glistening flurries of keys and an explosion of pop colour at the two-minute mark where the track meets its apex. ‘There’ forebodes the rest of the album, teasing its engrossing nature through its textured composition, whereas ‘Sun Song’ offers up a more breezy, melancholy approach to the narrative of the record.

‘Who’s Going To Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot’ features an almost medieval-sounding string section. “My heart is full of pain … I’ll never see you again” Kinter declares atop an almost unsettling backdrop as the album takes its first dark deep dive into the undertow. With a sci-fi feel drenched in folk influences, this track hangs out on display the result of pouring one’s soul into a musical project.

Starting off with a western air as jaunty whistles take the limelight layered upon delicately plucked strings, ‘Ribbon Bow’ acts as the lushly composed precursor to the driving percussion found in the sixth track ‘Wilt’. Taking a more upbeat approach, ‘Wilt’ features the sort of vocal climaxes that can be found littered throughout Miles Kane’s later work. The track features a chorus of melodies and accompanying female vocals, which add an extra depth to the stunning number that is easily the stand-out track of the LP.

Sandwiched in-between ‘Wilt’ and the airy title track ‘Nightblooming’, the masterfully curated ‘Middangeard’ can be found. Teeming with the all-too-accustomed angelic musings of Kinter, the cut is filled with hushed whispers and muttered lamentations that allow for an almost 360-degree listening experience that is wholly immersive and utterly hypnotic.

Moving back towards a more euphoria-inducing soundscape, Kinter declares “Nothing should come between us / Nothing should keep us apart” as he delves into a world of romanticism on the title number before dipping his toes into ambient-rock sounds on the penultimate, shortest track, ‘Moon Song’.

Closing the album is ‘When I Gets Up Into Heaven’, which amalgamates in almost indecipherable layered vocalisations which succinctly and aptly round off the record - Kinter bids farewell with featured spoken word atop airy whistled tones.

‘Nightblooming’ is a perfectly crafted art form that stylistically displays Kinter’s prowess as both a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

 

Lana Williams

@swimdeeplana

Image: 'Nightblooming' Official Single Cover