It’s surprising to me that it took this long for Josh Garrels and Josh White to start working on a collaborative project. The duo have been making similar music on their own for about 10 years.
Both artists are Christians, but don’t present themselves as Christian artists. However, they don’t downplay their faith at all, and genuinely sing about how they believe God has worked in their lives.
Indie. Christian. Acoustic guitars. Piano. Drums. Their relaxing, soul-soothing music is enjoyable by anyone and contains a presentation of the Savior they both believe in.
On Aug. 28, Garrels announced on his Instagram he and his “dear friend Josh White” had started working on something on something a year before, telling his followers to stay tuned this fall. Later in October, Garrels said a five-song EP will be coming at some point.
They’ve put out two singles, “Spirit Resurrect” and Garrels’ cover of White’s song “Enclosed by You.” On Nov. 7, White announced that on Nov. 9 the next song released would be a cover he was doing of Garrels’ song “Don’t Wait For Me.”
While they have released a couple of songs, and put out a music video for one, the release date for their EP still has not been announced, and they keep telling their fans to wait. The new songs are the same style the two have always done, and will satisfy fans of both.
“Spirit Resurrect,” has a simple, yet heavy message. It’s their plea to the Holy Spirit. The two sing the chorus together, saying, “Spirit, resurrect our love, direct our hearts to the Holy One, who tasted death for everyone.” While the duo believes they have already received salvation, and the change of lifestyle that comes with it, they are asking God to bring them back when they fall back into their old ways.
This is made even more clear when Garrels later sings “forgive us when we lose our way.” This is a soft, comforting, pleading track that would bring joy and encouragement to Christian believers, and enjoyment and consideration to unbelievers.
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Garrels’ cover of White’s “Enclosed by You” sounds quite similar to the original, which is not surprising. However, White’s original song is just him, his acoustic guitar and some back up vocals, while Garrels’ cover includes an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, drums and back up vocals. It’s the same sound and the same chill vibe though, and they would probably perform the song live similarly.
So, what’s coming next? And when?
What we know is that a five-song EP is coming at some point. I imagine the whole EP will come out before the end of the year at least, because they said in the summer that something was coming in the fall. I do hope that didn’t just mean the current three songs. Whether they will release the whole thing one song at a time, or soon finish it out, I’m not sure.
I wouldn’t doubt a tour is coming either some time next year. As the two artists attract similar crowds, they would both benefit from it. It seems like something their fans would. I imagine them both doing their own set, and then coming together and playing their collaborative EP. Potentially, they could also do duets of the songs they have covered.
Either way, the result will be a project that their fans will love and bring joy to many people. The EP will help the artist’s reach out to each other’s fans and give the fans new music to listen to as well.
Peter Loganbill is a Collegian staff writer and a junior in mass communications. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
