Scottish soul star Joesef announces his highly anticipated debut album Permanent Damage, set for release on January 13th, 2023 on AWAL. Representing the multilayers of the singer’s character and heart, over the past two years we have all witnessed an artist who has grown from bedroom pop to master and co-producer of new soul born from new heartbreak. Writing songs that are nakedly, wrenchingly honest, but with a sense of humor that “underlines the harsh punchline”, Joesef now has revealed the anthemic new single “Joe”, off the new album. “Joe” introduces the overarching theme of the album: the permanent damage and the cost of loving deeply, and how that stays, like a scar, with you.

“It’s about grieving for a version of myself that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get back,” says Joesef. But in the Glaswegian’s typical tongue-in-cheek manner, the negative relationship Joesef has with himself, Joe, is transformed into the upbeat, Fleetwood Mac-inspired future dancefloor favorite, questioning the universal feeling of never perceiving yourself to be good enough. The magnetic power of “Joe” live has already set audiences alight this summer, seeing fans with “their arms in the air holding each other singing the chorus” at hometown festival Otherlands, Reading & Leeds Festival, and his stunning intimate live shows, including the sold out stops at NYC’s Baby’s All Right and LA’s The Moroccan Lounge this past March. 

“Joe”, as well as the sublime recent singles “East End Coast” and “It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately,” all introduce the tone for an album that captures the anxiety and heartache of confrontation with a new-self, from a queer kid who grew up in a city of bullshit-free, grasp-the-thistle honesty at all the times. Finding home away from one’s home, Glasgow, is at the heart of Permanent Damage.

Photo Courtesy: Nathan Dunphy