Building a quirky shrine to synth-pop, 80s glam, Josh da Costa’s debut solo album balances revered guitars and theatrical nostalgia. Using his off-kilter eccentricities, da Costa leads us on a merry dance through the internal cogs of his mind with a highly enjoyable release that signals a bright and, hopefully, bizarre road ahead.
Slick yet Textured
Josh da Costa has had a varied and esoteric path to his debut album release: New Wave Graveyard. What stands out immediately in this project is the range of influences that da Costa pulls from to create his slick yet textured sound. It has all the key highlights of synth-pop 80s glam, but with a healthy chunk of da Costa’s pop-rock waverings. Shimmering guitars, ripping drum fills, and enough reverb to sink, well, a graveyard, Josh da Costa has left no stone unturned in his venture to create an other-worldly and extraordinary sound. He has openly leant into 80s and 90s references to create something that is not so much imitation as it is a shrine to the sounds of a not-so-distant past. The strength of what da Costa has created here is not just in the vast taste of his sound, but how he makes all these influences coexist.
Sumptuous and Glam
New Wave Graveyard opens with a bright and melodic statement that works wonders in introducing exactly what da Costa is attempting in this body of work. The track, with its bright melodic lift, gives the album its early sense of hope; it also introduces the emotional tone of the album and how da Costa has stylised the album. Proving Me Right is a sumptuous offering to Power, Corruption & Lies-era New Order with its high octave bass lines drenched in reverb. Yet it doesn’t just sit there, it explodes into a sleek synth-pop, glam-inspired theatrical chorus. The song feels confident even with da Costa being notably aware of how pastiche-like it is. His reference-hopping here is obvious but also highly enjoyable.
Atmospheric Tenderness
Josh da Costa’s debut offering isn’t just an offering on the altar of 80s synths. There are moments that lean into atmosphere, tenderness and romantic textures. Cordelia opens up a middle run of these vocal-led delicate moments where nostalgia isn’t the purpose but becomes the outcome. Similarly, Shireen is a clean 80s love-song with shimmering voice production and emotional sincerity; there’s a truly romantic glow around da Costa’s delivery. This softer side of production includes the velvety Tissues, which is without doubt one of the quirkiest, most characterful and off-kilter tracks on the album with rich influences from Duran Duran and Japan.
Quirkier and quirkiest
The oddness of da Costa’s work shines through tracks that pick up on the quirkiness of Tissues. Another creatively inventive tracks comes from Hospital Clown which shines with its circus imagery and jangle-pop energy. The mid-song break and refrain create a bold structural move that gives it all the more personality. After Your Heart brings out summer imagery with heavy echo and a feeling of movement. It doesn’t shine on the album but does show how da Costa’s writing can feel rougher around the edges but not lose its charm.
96 Year Old Girl is an eerie genre-bending track – both lyrically and musically. It is fair to say that da Costa’s own voice becomes much more distinct when his songs fall into eccentricity rather than tidy genre-framing. This overtly quirky number gives us a taste of exactly where his style could flourish as he continues to explore his musical influences.
Momentum, Lull and Disco Tent
Not all da Costa’s experimenting with ghosts of synthesis-past land smoothly. Sleepy Baby appears to function as a deliberate lull and seems unrecognisably bland when nestled in an album of much more intentional excitement. It’s easily forgettable and so one that we can swiftly move past. Beach in the Rain closes the album out with a brooding tension created through the conflict between the rhythm and the melody. In the album’s closer there is isolation in the lyrics that is juxtaposed against a lingering sense of hope. Yet, of these closing tracks, it is Slip By that really shines through. Drum machine fills, distorted reverb bass and rich keys pulls a sound together that is, once again, so beautifully New Order. It’s a song of complicated friendships and gives emotional heft beyond the groove. For me, since the first listen, this has been the standout track.
Josh da Costa has had a varied and transient career spanning genres and influences. Those influences converge here – sometimes brilliantly, sometimes messily. His ability to throw in reverb-drenched vocals on shimmering, sliding guitars amid a raucous drum fill deserves multiple listens. Probably the greatest compliment one can give this record is that it is only the beginning of what might come from the LA-based artist and any future projects should be viewed with nostalgic enthusiasm. There’s a lot to enjoy here in the meantime and so we shall.
New Wave Graveyard is out now, released through Stones Throw Records. Josh is touring dates in the US and Canada – at the moment there are no UK dates announced.
Here’s Skygirl:
Josh Da Costa: Bandcamp