Seattle Musician Joe August Collabs With Aditya Vashisht On Groovy New Single ‘Next Year’

If you happened to catch the music video for “Lost in Yesterday,” by Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker’s psychedelic music project Tame Impala, you’d notice the figure playing bass in the clip as Seattle singer-songwriter Joe August. The musician’s father has been working in costume design in Los Angeles for 35 years and when he got a call to work on the video that needed musicians last year, he didn’t have to look far for casting. August says, “Within the week, I learned the bass riff and was on a flight to L.A. with my 1970s Fender Bullet bass and ready for action.”

Tame Impala is also what brought August together with New Delhi indie outfit The Backyard Shrooms’ bassist-producer Aditya Vashisht. “Aditya had seen that I was connected with Kevin Parker through the music video and began to follow me [on social media],” says August. It wasn’t long after that the American artist heard a drum and synth groove Vashisht posted and felt attached to. “I remember showing the clip to a few friends like, ‘this sounds fucking awesome, right?’” he says. That’s when August asked Vashisht if he could use the arrangement, which has now turned into the tizzy “Next Year.”

The synth fueled psychedelic track along with dynamic percussion and a pumping bass groove as well as crunchy guitar parts and August’s silky vocals make the song quite a definitive earworm. Talking about the song, August says, “It’s about acknowledging the roller coaster ride that has been 2020, but ultimately moving forward with hope for 2021.” He adds, “’Next Year’ recognizes the struggle in the present, but the desire for growth in the future.” Inspired by the marches and peaceful protests across the U.S. due to racial injustice, the singer-songwriter felt that he too didn’t want to stay quiet any longer in regard to the issue. He says, “We have to acknowledge that the narrative is shifting and that we have the power to create change.”

August recorded the track alongside producer Hunter Rath and guitarist Chase Rabideau at Seattle’s London Bridge Studios, where the likes of ace musician Jimi Hendrix as well as iconic bands of the area such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam have worked out of.

Away from being an artist, August is also a certified music therapist and currently works with older adults suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. He says, “Many of them are not able to see their families or friends, so music truly is their only way of coping.” The singer-songwriter is also readying his full-length debut album Modern Sound of Quiet, due to be released next year. There’s also more collaborations in the works, a website launch and even a music video shoot this month. “Lots to come,” says August.

Stream “Next Year” on Spotify below and on other platforms.