Twenty years into his career, Jose’s fifth and latest album Against The Dying Of The Light solidifies him as the master of the Trojan-horse lyric, smuggling sometimes dark and difficult themes into the spotlight via soft-power rhythms, irresistible melodies and understatedly emotional vocals. Loved internationally or his intimate, folk-rooted compositions, classically-inclined fingerpicking and softly expressive vocals, 2021’s Local Valley espoused effective altruism, ecomodernism and secular humanism existential questions. Against The Dying Of The Light shifts its focus to technological fears, the future of humankind, identifying unhelpful thinking and refusing non-inclusive ideologies. A humanist, his music re-examines our aeons-old thought patterns and modifies growth-impeding behaviours. His singular artistry and musical diversity rules across the album - folk-pop, Spanish-leaning and choral sounds, rhythmic propulsion, plus his signature echo effects and subtle electronics.

-Kerry Clarke