NEEDTOBREATHE’s Josh Lovelace Explores Self-Doubt, Faith & Sobriety On ‘SHELTERS’ Album

pato October 29, 2024 3 min read 0

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Josh Lovelace of the Grammy nominated rock band NEEDTOBREATHE releases his powerfully moving new album SHELTERS via Stonycroft Records. The projectis an 11-song suite of original and achingly personal songs.

Accompanying the album’s release is a video premiere with Tinnitist which said, “‘Lovelight’ will take your breath away with its sweet sincerity and timeless message of devotion and salvation.” The song is a chiming, hopeful track with a “fist-pumping chorus” that reflects the central theme of the album: finding ports in the storm and anchoring yourself to those who care.

NEEDTOBREATHE’s Josh Lovelace Explores Self-Doubt, Faith & Sobriety On ‘SHELTERS’ Album

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The song is also an ode to some of the music he loved growing up. Lovelace explains, “I wanted to have a song on the record that felt like a mixed bag of Bryan Adams & Richard Marx met with Bleachers and The War on Drugs.” He continues,”It’s a really fun pop song that hopefully reminds us all that we need each other. Even when we can’t see it sometimes, there are people around us who will carry the torch and be a light for us in the dark. “

Lovelace’s battle with his religious upbringing is a constant throughout the album, from the ethereal “High Throne” to straight-ahead rocker “Praying Wrong.” The folky “Miracles,” though, is a standout on an already stellar record. That track is a rumination on just how much young minds are able to trust and hope — and an entreaty to return to those days.

“As I’ve gotten older, I don’t really believe all the things that I believed when I was young,” Lovelace says. “But at the same time, I wish I had the confidence that I had when I was a kid.”

Shelters also digs into more earthly trials — the honeyed “Flames & Smoke” sees Lovelace muddling through his anxiety diagnosis, while the fluttery “Not the Best Version of Myself (Right Now)” speaks to a sentiment we can all relate to. “I Stopped Drinking Yesterday” which is about trying to put down the bottle and open your eyes.

The human condition is a process of evolution. Lovelace adds, “You can’t just automatically change and be who you want to be. It’s a process.” From beginning to end that process is portrayed on SHELTERS with songsthat vacillate between self-doubt, angst, forgiveness and ultimately hope.

Lovelace is a proud work in progress: whether it’s quitting drinking to be more present for his kids, quelling panic attacks before stepping on stage, or just figuring out his beliefs, after growing up as the son of a preacher.

Through all this turmoil he’s had his touchstones, his shelters: loved ones, friends and of course, music. “The reason why I call the album ‘shelters’ instead of just ‘shelter’ is because there’s not a one-stop shop for salvation.” Lovelace continues “Different people became shelters for me — and also my work. There’s beauty in that.”

Friends who helped build SHELTERS include NEEDTOBREATHE bandmate Tyler Burkum, Griffin Goldsmith (Dawes), Emily Retsas (Phoebe Bridgers), Sam Getz (Welshly Arms), Aaron Sterling and more. Summing up the project Locelace reveals, “That’s what this record is all about. It’s me forgiving myself and giving myself some grace for not having it all figured out quite yet.”

SHELTERS follows Lovelace’s three-album stretch into family oriented music, under the moniker “Young Folk;” Moonwalking (2022), Growing Up (2019), and Young Folk (2017).