For polymath artist Wesley Joseph, writing a song is like shooting a filmHe sees in terms of scenes and colors, lighting the proper mood, drawing the right emotional arc—far beyond just getting a catchy melody down on tape. Music and filmmaking are Joseph’s two great loves. Film came first—he started making DIY videos at age 12 to entertain himself and his friends growing up in a small UK community—but when he moved toLondon to study it, the energy he discovered in the city demanded to be captured in song, resulting in his 2021 debutULTRAMARINE, a distinctly cinematic collection of avant-RB and soulful future-pop shot through with moments of surprising aggression and an intriguingly complex postmillennial aura.

Since collaborating with the likes of Jorja Smith and Loyle Carner, he returns with GLOW, eight more songs of love, loss, anxiety, and joy about coming of age at a time of unprecedented change. Showcasing his range across songwriting, performing, and production—not to mention his flawless transitions between singing and rapping, between character studies and raw emotional honesty—it’s a stunningly beautiful work that makes it clear Joseph’s on the path to becoming a world changing talent