Having steadily built his profile in the years leading up to his 2022 debut album The Best I Could Do at the Time, Joe Hicks has been praised for his solid songwriting and remarkable vocal skills, hitting falsetto notes with ease while channelling the likes of John Mayer and Paul Simon with his clean and dexterous guitar playing. A deluxe re-issue of the LP and a headline tour around the UK and Europe followed in 2023.

Then life threw the musician a curveball. Living in Bristol in early 2024, Joe was going through a lengthy breakup, and suddenly found himself also dealing with the loss of his father. Feeling directionless, the possibility of dropping music became stronger; fortunately, and with the encouragement of his long-time collaborator Tom Millar and producer Sam Winfield, the singer-songwriter overcame that notion, and channelled his emotions into his songwriting.   The result is Before It Gets Dark, a cathartic set of songs written and created as a means to an end for Joe as he came to terms with this immense grief. For anyone who’s had to deal with such heavy loss in their lives, the new album from Joe Hicks offers a helping hand and hopefully some comfort in its music.