Queensland-born artist Joshua Rognoni has well and truly come home with the release of his latest single, ‘where the grass is green’. After trading the Sunshine State for Melbourne at the tail end of 2023 to pursue his creative passions, Joshua is getting ready to drop his acoustic folk debut, ‘twenty-five in the woods’ on the 25th of November. In perfect form, his new single serves as a wonderfully tender, almost confessional invitation into his new sound—a far cry from his previous digitally influenced work under the moniker Jo$hua.
This is a nuanced, slowly blossoming, and utterly charming slice of acoustic songwriting that prioritises raw honesty above all else. It never feels overproduced or rushed, allowing the melancholic, calling guitar chords and Joshua’s warm vocals to float through the mix with an easy sense of self. His opening lines immediately set a wistful, romantic tone, painting a picture of escape painted with nostalgia.
There’s a sense of hopeful, imagined futures stitched within the emotional heart of the track, gently simmering beneath every word and note. Speaking candidly, Joshua explained the deeply human inspiration behind the lyrics, sharing, “'where the grass is green' was basically inspired by having a really big crush on someone, but it could be more than that – it's essentially a love song for someone you know nothing about, and imagining a potential future with them.”
Influenced by titans like Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel, whilst carrying the atmospheric weight of Hozier and Bon Iver, this track marks Joshua’s return to organic instrumentation. The forthcoming album, 'twenty-five in the woods', from which this single is taken, was recorded and produced entirely in Joshua’s bedroom, featuring just his voice, guitar, and a few carefully captured sounds. There’s no autotune or digital trickery here, lending the record a personal, grounded texture rarely found in modern releases.
The album itself is a journey of reflection, mapping the emotional descent into loss and the slow climb back to peace. Joshua reveals the highly personal event that sparked the eight-track collection: “The album 'twenty-five in the woods' came about from a relationship I had when I first moved to Melbourne. We broke up on my 25th birthday and had planned to go away together, so I decided to go solo camping instead… A lot of the songs on the album are sort of based around that relationship - and the album journey mirrors the descent into the woods, and slowly coming out at the end - similar to the relationship I guess?”
That story of being stuck, literally and metaphorically, imbues 'where the grass is green' with an earnest, rustic spirit. It's a beautifully simple, honest song about finding calm again and imagining a better path. If this single is anything to go by, 'twenty-five in the woods', due out on November 25th, is shaping up to be a profoundly moving and essential folk listen. Keep an eye out for details on Joshua’s debut Melbourne gig, which will follow on the 30th of November to celebrate the release.
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