I’m doing this review over a drink and a train journey! I have had this one pencilled in to do for a week or so, but held back as I wanted to include the news just released about the new album. Allow me to share everything with you and then move on to the review:
Some news from the Joe Hicks camp: The Newbury singer-songwriter’s latest single ‘Heart in Two‘ is released October 10. He explores that relatable feeling of watching everyone live amazing lives through social media and thinking ‘that’s not me’. However, there’s also hope and defiance for sticking to his chosen path in the song’s gradual build – it feels like a natural evolution for him and well worth a listen.
On the same day as the single’s release, Joe will announce his new album Before It Gets Dark! With a provisional release date of March 27, 2026, that’s a date for early next year for fans to note.
The press release tells me that having steadily built his profile in the years leading up to his 2022 debut album “The Best I Could Do at the Time,” Joe Hicks has been praised for his solid songwriting and remarkable vocal skills, hitting falsetto notes with ease while channelling the likes of John Mayer and Paul Simon with his clean and dexterous guitar playing. A deluxe re-issue of the LP and a headline tour around the UK and Europe followed in 2023.
Then life threw the musician a curveball. Living in Bristol in early 2024, Joe was going through a lengthy breakup, and suddenly found himself also dealing with the loss of his father. Feeling directionless, the possibility of dropping music became stronger; fortunately, and with the encouragement of his long-time collaborator Tom Millar and producer Sam Winfield, the singer-songwriter overcame that notion, and channelled his emotions into his songwriting.
The result is “Before It Gets Dark” (out 27th March 2026), a cathartic set of songs written and created as a means to an end for Joe as he came to terms with this immense grief. For anyone who’s had to deal with such heavy loss in their lives, the new album from Joe Hicks offers a helping hand and hopefully some comfort in its music.
Joe Hicks: ‘The album is about feeling beaten down by modern society, uncertainty, and by the things life can throw at you as you get older. It deals with the death of my dad, a breakup, and the darker songs are from the somewhat nihilistic “life is meaningless” perspective of the world I slipped into following those events. The theme of releasing it is coming through that and looking forward; wanting to see the world before it gets dark.’
My review of “Heart in Two”
I am told that in this song Joe explores that relatable feeling of watching everyone live amazing lives through social media and thinking ‘that’s not me’. However, there’s also hope and defiance for sticking to his chosen path in the song’s gradual build – it feels like a natural evolution for him.
This is a song that lifts into a power chorus, and it instantly struck me as a very radio friendly song, the type of track that would fit into a commercial radio or Radio 2 playlist. It quickly kicks into the vocal that tells us that Joe is searching for his truth. It is that core to the song, a bass beat that adds a heartbeat to the track and it is a strong vocal performance that emotively connects singer and song. It was a fine way to spend three minutes! Somewhere between my drink and the next station stop, I realized Joe Hicks has done it again — crafted a song that’s both deeply human and effortlessly listenable. If “Heart in Two” is the opening chapter of what’s to come, then Before It Gets Dark might just be the album to bring a bit of light into 2026.
If you enjoyed the review, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise pages, shops, editorials and even a poetry page. Content is free here, but we work very hard for you to bring you the best content, and to support the magazine please show your appreciation on the support button below and buy our wonderful team a coffee!
Stream music from Joe Hicks here
By Benny (the Ball) Benson