Josh Geffin – Hold On To The Light

Josh Geffin

Hold On To The Light

Pear O’Legs Records

2022

Songs can spring from remarkable places, some of which are entirely unexpected. Josh Geffin was walking by the sea wall in Brighton in January of 2021 (a pandemic activity that was still acceptable) when he spied some graffiti etched on the sea wall, ‘no matter how dark it gets, hold on to the light.’ The phrase stayed with him, it was something he needed to see, and it became the title of his latest EP, Hold On To The Light, not to mention a single that resonates beyond the scope of Covid 19.

The guitar that opens that track suggests the work of master guitarists like John Martyn and Bert Jansch. Yet the song is as modern as today, with washes of synth to go along with bass, drums and some lovely electric work, almost all of it played by Geffin. Despite all of that, what hits hardest are the lyrics, “Strange times, are you keeping well?/ Yeah, surviving, but who can tell?/ The day is burring into night/ Hold on to the light.” Simple, straightforward and rooted in the reality of finding hope in everyday life. The string arrangement by Henry Horrell adds another level.

While initially meant to be a demo, it soon became something more. The more work Geffin did, the more he realized the demos were heading down the road to a finished disc. Layers were added in a one-room studio, Wurlitzer, a Prophet synth, guitars and bass; Victoria Hume added vocals; violin and drums were added, along with more vocals. Finally, Josh called on long-time collaborator and producer Sonny Johns to do the final mix and production. The results spoke for themselves; this was a disc screaming to be released.

Surging bass plays off against soft guitar on “Will You Come Back From The War?,“ creating a sense of incredible tension, a reflection of the anxiety, yet another little gift the pandemic brought. In its wake, no one was left unscarred. Endless moments of uncertainty, vying for attention, even though no answers were forthcoming. There’s an incredible sense of vulnerability at its heart, “No idea when/ No idea how the story ends/ Or what happens then.” The power of the song stems from the sense of insecurity and uncertainty that filled days, weeks and months. Victoria Hume’s vocal harmonies only add to the conflicting emotions expressed in the song.

The opening of “Best We Could” recalls Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” The moment passes quickly; in its wake, the melancholy and sadness seem to remain as the song speaks of relationships and the difficulties filling even the best of them. Little guitar filigrees attempt to mend some of the broken relationship ends, yet the downward acoustic guitar patterns suggest things may not be quite that easy. Relationships push and pull, and there’s a need to find a sense of acceptance in our limitations, “I guess it was the best we could do.”

Amidst acoustic tones, with a voice that holds more than a few qualities of Bert Jansch, Geffin sings “Dead Stars.” Steel guitar lends a countryish feel to a song that seems to call for a higher power; after all, somebody or something must be in charge. Don’t they say? “Out in the light of a dead star/ Out in the night where you are/ Lead me home safe from harm/ Out in the light of a dead star.” The star’s light continues to be seen long after it dies – how do we accept a world when many of the forces forming it have already left the stage?

Finding ways to make sense of the pandemic has been difficult, to say the least, but the healing power of music can help us to move forward and sustain our sense of balance. Josh Geffin’s Hold On To The Light is a soothing and masterfully crafted EP, a beacon of hope that gives expression both to where we’ve been and where we are headed.