Drawing us in with an intricate guitar performance with astral tones, accompanied by an electric guitar solo and textured drums, Joe Hodgson opens The Grass Is Greener with a dimensional soundscape. The opus expands with dynamism, nuanced drama and instrumental mastery.
There is a cinematic allure to the composition, and the melodic narrative of the electric guitar feels like a multi-faceted protagonists emotive journey with an almost self-realized nature. The Grass Is Greener feels perfect for the score of a romantic comedy, but also there is no doubt that Joe’s skillset on the guitar is stadium worthy.
The A-side also comes with an accompanying track, Shapeshifting, which taps into a more psychedelic edge with an 8-bit sound that feels more video game friendly with a Latin and Eastern twist. it is high octane and trippy with finger work that is so fast that it almost feels surreal! This could well see the light of day on an upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog movie!
We appreciate Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson‘s genre expansive nature, and learn that Joe’s mantra is “words can lie, but my guitar can’t” – there is no arguing with that as his guitar work is nothing short of genius.
When it comes to references, Joe cites Thin Lizzy as inspiration, which we can feel manifest on the two tracks, but there is no doubt that Joe is creating a sonic universe of his own, following his four year hiatus travelling!
Joe confesses that The Grass Is Greener is “the story of the twists and turns we all experience in the search for inner peace and happiness”, and Shapeshifting explores “the chameleon that is in all of us”.
We love what Joe Hodgson is creating, and have added both songs to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our TRIPPY and TIMELESS playlists, whilst we anticipate future tracks from Joe’s upcoming album, Fields Of Redemption!