Josiah and the Bonnevilles have been steadily building a dedicated following dating back to “Stolen Love” from their introductory 2021 album Motel Mayday, followed by the release “Ghost”, which has passed 70 million streams on Spotify, from the album simply titled 2022. The 2024 tour, with over thirty headline shows, underscores the strong fan base he has been able to develop. The most recent release, As Is, which dropped May 8, should please their current fan base and help them further build their fan growth.
Josiah Leming grew up in Morristown, Tennessee, signed a major deal at nineteen, but ended up having to reset his career independently and on his own terms. After spending 2022 and 2023 revisiting earlier material — instrumentals, covers, and the acoustic focused album Endurance — As Is marks a genuine reset: all new songs, a new producer in Konrad Snyder, and a return to the fuller band sound of his earlier work, but without losing the honesty that is the foundation of his sound.
“Carolina Heart” is the track that really stands out. It’s unflashy in the best way — a great melodic hook that is going to stick in your brain and lyrics that make you believe he might have actually lived in Charlotte — maybe he did. It might be the most commercially country song Joshua has done to date. But that is not a bad thing as it is a song you will find yourself going back to listen to time and time again.
There is also a good sampling of the Americana that one expects from Josiah though out the rest of the album. “Mountain Girl” and “One Day at a Time” are filled with rich harmonies, harmonica, fiddle and banjo, and lyrics that portray a life filled with wanting, challenges and rewards.
They’re touring right now: Minneapolis at First Avenue on June 10, NYC at Webster Hall on June 19, DC at the 9:30 Club on June 24, and Nashville at the Opry House on July 11. Full dates and updates at josiahandthe.com.
A curated pick by Planet Mars Music Editorial Staff and crafted with the help of AI