Josh Island, known around here as Josh Dutch Cheese (his actual surname is Oudendijk), is not ‘just’ an editor, translator, and moderately talented weather poster who for months held our record for most ‘likes’ on a Facebook weather post*.
*It was always a mystery how his post ended up a king-crowner.. but either way, yours truly recently bested him with this video masterpieceHis real passion, though, is music - and as it happens, he’s actually pretty talented. Who would have thought?But it needed the right sound and type of production. After a conversation with Sacha Hanlet from Them Lights, the two decided to work on and develop the track at Sacha’s home studio in June 2020. The result is a groovy, electronic production blended with acoustic guitar and warm vocals. The song sounds more acoustic in a live setting, with the own musical input of musicians, but the difference between recording and performance is something that makes an artist intriguing, says Josh:
“I enjoy exploring different production sounds and genres, and I am incredibly happy with the result. It really is a catchy summer song that I hope will accompany people on their daily commute to work, or on a little road trip this year exploring the surroundings of Luxembourg.”
Sacha Hanlet (Them Lights) says: “It was an absolute pleasure to produce Exaggerator. I love the groove and freshness about it. It’s going to be your summer jam 2020.”
Fans were already involved in the song before its actual release: Josh Island reached out to them on social media to ask whether they would like to film their own reactions, emotions and commentary when listening to Exaggerator for the first time. The result is a heart-warming video with lots of surprise responses that will be released in the next few days.
After a rigorous touring schedule in 2019 with nearly 80 concerts, Josh is currently writing and recording his second EP, which will be released early 2021. Read more about Josh Island’s background and career story in his biography here.
