JOSHUA – “Love Me”

JOSHUA’s newest single, “Love Me”, is a moving examination of weakness and self-awareness. The haunting minimalist dark pop sound takes center stage. As one of his most introspective pieces, this track stands out in his discography. As he candidly expresses, JOSHUA isn’t afraid to admit his complexities. The song plies deeper into the theme of finding yourself someone strong enough to tackle that track while having a relationship with him.

Even more interesting about ‘Love Me’ is its sparse production, which sounds not unlike early Lorde. This bareness highlights JOSHUA’s expressive singing, which succeeds in telling the story. Vocal samples add an atmospheric touch, helping to set the track’s storyline.

“If I’m going to love, I’m going to love HARD so I wanted to write a kind of warning to any potential partner. Written, produced and mixed by myself, I feel like this is one of my vulnerable songs, and felt like I needed to be as present in the song as possible so I sampled and layered in my voice as much as possible without losing the minimalistic feel I was after. There’s only one small synth sound in the second half of the chorus and then the bass layers; the rest is all me!” -JOSHUA

The song’s strength is in its human appeal. People fear being lonely and long to be recognized and loved even though they aren’t perfect themselves. In portraying these universally human emotions, JOSHUA’s honesty is both brave and fresh. Its simplicity in production, which marvelously complements the complexity of its emotions, makes for a riveting listen. Love Me is far more than a song; it’s confession, an appeal, and a bitterly ironic reminder that we all may be based in love.