Few things are more emblematic of the Southwest than a well-constructed song, and with a new single, "The Heat," Josie Lockhart nails that aesthetic. Extracted directly from the sun-scorched fields that inspired it, the song is a strikingly cinematic addition to Lockhart's new album, "What Golden Hues."
Written over winter 2022 at the family home in Durango, Colorado, Aaron Miller, known to most as the musician Josie Lockhart, evokes something primal and mysterious with "The Heat." "It's a cowboy song that felt like the inspiration of the southwestern landscape," Miller explains. "I was just messing around with the drum groove you hear in the intro, looping it, and then working on lap steel. That riff unlocked the rest of the song." And unlock it did what begins as a hypnotic rhythm builds to a driving, dust-kicked anthem that feels simultaneously timeless and new.
"The Heat" represents another step in Miller's growth as an artist. After pairing and introducing Josie Lockhart on his 2021 debut, "Santa Rosa," which received national press from the BBC, KUTX, American Songwriter, and more, Miller opted for a solo effort with his next turn. Whereas in Santa Rosa, it was the DIY recording process. What Golden Hues leans into big studio production, recruiting the talents of producer Modern Medicine (Wild Child, Lauren Lakis) and a cast of hotseat session players from Austin and Nashville.
"The Heat" is a perfect example of his knack for taking a story and threading it through ambient, beautiful soundscapes. The single simmers with a slow-burning heat, and it evokes the open landscapes of the Southwest and the sweltering energy that runs through them. If "The Heat" is any indication, What Golden Hues is already shaping up to be a milestone moment in Josie Lockhart's career as a musical artist, one that not only recognizes his influences but also builds an Oxford with his immediate peers.
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