Josh Harmon

Josh Harmon descends into a dark subway station just as his album descends into dark desensitization.

I can confidently say that the worst thing about listening to a relatively niche band or artist is not having anyone to share it with.

Days dancing in my yard as I rake leaves with The Backseat Lovers blasting in my headphones, hours spent staring out the bus window as I worry about the next French quiz, what felt like months drowning out my siblings’ road-trip movies by listening to their entire discography all led to one thing: my headphones becoming my best friend. Though I enjoyed my mother bringing me to concerts, being the two youngest and oldest people there certainly wasn’t ideal.

Though The Backseat Lovers are arguably a popular and well-known band, I’d never met anyone who obsessed over them as much as I did. All I could do was recommend and pray.

Until one day, at the end of my Weekly Chemistry Nap™, PM FX’s intro song was one I recognized—causing my head to shoot up and “I LOVE THIS SONG!” to escape from my lips (something that happens far too often, an unfortunate consequence of watching Glee). 

I found out who chose that song as soon as possible. That person, upon meeting me and finding out I also love The Backseat Lovers, pointed me towards a relatively new artist—in fact, the lead singer of The Backseat Lovers—Joshua Harmon.

His new solo alias, deeper sleeper—stylized in all lowercase, like all the songs on his debut album has become a common factor in this fall’s Apple music shuffle, the perfect autumnal music for the perfect season.

Through his new album, deeper sleeper explores a more alternative, less clean sound than the usual indie-pop of his breakout band, using more instrumental-based music rather than lyrical. The lulling, numb atmosphere of his songs generates the perfect music to go alongside raking leaves and rainy days.  

My personal favorite is “right now,” the first track on the album with just acoustic guitar, drums, and a harmonica. I also admire the lyrics, though very few, for their simple but relatable nature. “I quit hoping / and I can’t wait to hope again / I quit smoking / and I can’t wait to quit again tomorrow.” These words mirror my October interlude of missing assignments and missing sleep, having test upon assignment to complete and not enough time to do so. 

Another stand-out track was “the bounty,” an acoustic piece that descends into a desensitizing combo of synth, electric guitar, and drums, overlaying the indistinct, repeated mantra of “collect my bounty, collect my bounty.” This song captures the essence of raindrops on grey car windows and the feeling of being right on the edge of autumn and winter.

Though deeper sleeper is undoubtedly a stark contrast to the Backseat Lovers’ When We Were Friends, quite different than music I would traditionally gravitate towards, I am sure that the cover image of Josh Harmon descending into a dark subway station will become a familiar sight on my phone screen both this fall and in years to come.