Images by Declan Blackall //

‘Inside Times’ is the first offering in a string of new releases from the Sydney producer…

If you’re looking for your next favourite psych act, Josh Dives might just be it. The Sydney producer has given us an exclusive premiere of his new track ‘Inside Times’, a downtempo slice of psych-pop that combines warm synth tones with the perfect amount of introspection.

Having previously only released one track – ‘Sea Spray’ – in 2018, Dives has spent the last few years behind the desk, producing and engineering for artists like Hector Gachan, Hotel, Prince Matton and Jermango Dreaming. Turning his attention back to his own writing, Dives is now gearing up to release a series of singles, which will hopefully culminate in a larger body of work.

Released via independent Sydney label Yeah Nah Yeah, ‘Inside Times’ is exactly what you want from a piece of psych-pop. Slinky bass grooves roll over de-tuned synth chords; every so often a mellow synth line pokes its head out, like an underwater creature coming up for air. All the while, Dives’ vocals coo softly, lyrics dripping between rich counter-melodies.

It’s impossible to move and shake in this genre without drawing comparisons to the likes of Mild High Club and HOMESHAKE – themselves branches of a bigger tree which houses genre mainstays like Mac DeMarco, Connan Mockasin and Ariel Pink – and for fans of any of these artists, Josh Dives will definitely hit the spot.

Yet aside from his warm, crystalline production, the thing that most sets Josh Dives apart is his lyrical precision, which manages to inject everyday moments with a kind of existential wonder. “Watch the shadows on the wall, shifting as they crawl, forever just feels so long, so long,” Dives sings. “Click, the porch light flickers on, another day’s come and gone, remember when we were young, so young?”

“Feel the stillness in the air, the planets don’t seem to care,” Dives describes elsewhere, demonstrating his skill for effortless warping the scale between micro and macro. It’s easy to feel a sense of melancholy from these lyrics, but ‘Inside Times’ actually delivers an antidote to the apparent indifference of the universe: “This will pass, the world out there is just as fast, we’ll feel better when we clear our minds.”

To celebrate the release, Josh Dives is throwing a party on Saturday the 5th of November at Marrickville Hotel, where you can catch him DJing along with Prince Matton from 8pm. In the meantime, ‘Inside Times’ is out tomorrow on all platforms.