Josh Rennie-Hynes

I feel like there’s a new generation of Australian singer-songwriters who are navigating their way through the maze of American, English and Australian folk and country influences to emerge with something instinctively personal. And it’s inherently Australian. In this issue there’s Starboard Cannons, Amarillo, and Anchor & The Butterfly as examples. Young Woodford local Josh Rennie-Hynes has also managed to stake out his own territory, picking up on splinters of classic and modern Americana (with the exceptionally able assistance of Shane Nicholson on this album), but with a voice that is native and natural in tone and sentiment.

Few young artists in recent memory have so effortlessly bridged the gap between the younger generation of triple j singer-songwriters (all too often marred by affectation) and the elders educated by the American folk and country legends.

There are pop songs on this record, sure (first single ‘Erin’ is the most obvious candidate). But Paul Kelly wrote plenty of them, and you can hear echoes of his presence in songs like ‘The Things We’ll Never Have Again’ and ‘To The Water’. And Rennie-Hynes presents himself as a devotee to “the song” first and foremost, whether clothing those songs in robust instrumentation or presenting them starkly, just guitar and voice, as on ‘Lucy’ or ‘How Many Times’. - Martin Jones

Comparisons to the other Josh of the Pyke variety are warranted (the guitar part of Lucy and the opening of Erin), but this Woodford-via-Brisbane folk singer-songwriter has his own voice. Possessing a wonderfully honest Australian accent and smooth vocals, the songs are effortless and well constructed, the sincerity and unaffected performance refreshing. This is a gentle, flowing collection, though with an immediacy to the melodies. The aforementioned Lucy is a touching ode to a daughter never met, and 27 is the soundtrack to any chapter closing. Beautifully produced with an admirably light touch, this is a warm, generous record. - Amoorina Fitzgerald-Hood

When Josh Rennie-Hynes took the stage, the room had settled down into anticipatory silence. You could hear a pin drop as he began to captivate the room with songs from his new album February that were filled with detailed narratives, heartache and a dash of hope.

The delicate and introspective Lucy told the story of an unborn daughter, lost in the battle of a relationship gone wrong. Sung with a rawness and intensity, this was a moment that cut to the heart of everyone in the room. The audience was enchanted, hanging on his every word.

While often venturing into the darker side of storytelling, Josh never let the show become too heavy, contrasting his subject matter with a great sense of humour and warm personality as he joked and bantered with the crowd.

With the help of Steve Grady, the luscious sound of February was taken back to its core premise of guitar driven, acoustic music. When stripped back, the songs stood just as well on their own. This is a testament to Rennie-Hynes’ finely honed songwriting, which was showcased throughout the night.

Grady’s melodic and understated guitar playing complemented Josh’s songs, as it filled the sound to something that felt much more immersive than two acoustic guitars. Recent single Erin was recreated with a clever arrangement that made the most of their minimal instrumentation. Grady’s resonant tone gelled perfectly with Rennie-Hynes’ ernest, nasal voice as their countermelodies weaved in and around each other as they took the song to a dramatic climax. The result was a stunning, stand out moment for the night.

Closing the night with an encore, the uptempo strummer Grandis ended the evening on a high, as the audience clapped along and danced to the chorus of ‘it’s all gonna work out fine’. - James DiFabrizio

This was a night of friends and collaborators celebrating the release of Shane Nicholson's new solo LP Hell Breaks Loose. Nicholson produced Josh Rennie-Hynes' debut album February and invited the songwriter down from Brisbane to open the show. Rennie-Hynes had only met local pedal steel player Jy-Perry Banks (Cruisin' Deuces) that afternoon but the pair played together like they had a seasoned partnership. Songs came from Rennie-Hynes' debut album plus a preview of a few tracks destined for its follow-up. It's the effortless nature of Rennie-Hynes' melodic and melancholic songs that wins one over. Warm and familiar even if heard for the first time, they prove his talent is strong and on the rise. -