To Find Happiness

Album review

The melody master Josh Pyke is back with To Find Happiness, hot off the heels of his 2020 release Rome. The beauty of Josh Pyke is in his authenticity. Pyke is very open about his struggles with anxiety, especially whilst performing, which is a topic all too familiar among performers. It is well known that Pyke took a two year hiatus from live music to focus on his health, only to be stopped in his tracks by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many pandemic albums are sprinkled with tidbits of loneliness, isolation and loss… not Josh Pyke's album though. Pyke's mentality when writing this album was more of a 'throw things at a wall and see what sticks approach' - and thus we are presented with the eclectic and positive outlook album To Find Happiness. On this album we see the full range of Josh Pyke's talent. In the first three tracks we move from The Kinks inspired To Find Happiness, to the doo-wop feel of Circle of Light, eventually into the dark aussie-esque folk we originally fell in love with Pyke over on the track The Hummingbird. 

Pyke has always been known for his poignant lyricism, pairing subtle reflective lyrics with deceptively upbeat music. Your Heart Won’t Always Weigh a Tonne is no exception here. Written in the middle of one of Australia’s many lockdowns, he began this song reflecting on the impact of the pandemic on the youth. “I literally gasped with tears when I sang the line, “And it won’t always be so hard.” It was like I was trying to convince myself of something I’d been trying to convince everyone else of.” If You Don’t Know Me, Who Am I is the absolute pinnacle of this album. With its ultra-folky guitars and tasteful double bass, this song is about Pyke’s journey as he comes to terms with his Mother’s battle with Alzheimer's disease and the pain of not only eventually losing someone, but that person losing their memories of you. The album is rounded out with What It Means to Be Alone (Catherine). Catherine is his Mother’s name and this final track serves almost as a final bookend to the album. A reflection on not only the theme of the pandemic and isolation, but also on the theme of losing a loved one. “The point was to highlight that sometimes there are no reasons, no logical explanations as to why things happen to you, or to anyone else.”

Now with a stunning seventh album under his belt, Josh Pyke remains a household name in the Australian music landscape. His pure expression and individuality coupled with his bare honesty are what make his music so irresistible. Anything he writes is sure to strike a chord with most people out there, and after the miserable past few years the world has had, To Find Happiness is sure to affect many souls. © Jessica Porter-Langson / Qobuz