Balancing playfulness with direct emotion, ‘It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately’ features tongue-in-cheek lyricism about that moment when you let your standard slip, as well as a sample from queer director Gregg Araki’s film ‘Totally F…ed Up’.

“I wrote ‘It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately’ about how I tend to make bad decisions when I'm down, and to be more specific it was giving into the advances of someone I’d been with previously, while they were in a new relationship,” Joesef says.

“I wanted the song to feel like a bad trip, there’s a lot of different textures; the tempos are higher, and the drums are slightly swung. It also features a sample from the film ‘Totally F…ed Up’ by Gregg Araki: the stories he tells, and how he portrays them visually inspire me every day, and fit the context of the song so well, I had to write to him for the sample clearance and he said yes which was f…ing mind blowing to me, he’s a hero of mine.”

It’s been a journey of expanding horizons for Joesef. . . Moving to London, fleeing a lockdown and an ex – Joesef was also able to work with producer Barney Lister (Joy Crookes, Celeste), and thus, ‘It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately’ was born.

Joesef might not have come from a musical family, but his musical references come from his mum’s kitchen radio (Al Green, The Cure, and The Mamas And The Papas constantly playing in the background). He grew up in the East End of Glasgow, a place where he was made fun of for “my trainers more than my sexuality”, and was raised to celebrate and understand his queer identity.

‘It’s Been A Little Heavy Lately’ is out now.