I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try (Yellow Vinyl)

I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try’ comes after the virality of Idehen’s track ‘Mum Does The Washing’, a wry and whip-smart poem examining how the world works (which started life as a Twitter thread), set to Parment’s spacious beats. The song has seen the pair propelled beyond Idehen’s wildest dreams this past year, with support from the likes of Jamz Supernova and Huw Stephens leading to soldout shows and packed-out festival performances including rammed crowds at Glastonbury and Green Man, an appearance on Later with Jools Holland and a support slot on Baxter Dury’s European tour this winter. For Idehen, this is all so special because it marked a new era of his career after around two decades of writing poetry. “In a nutshell, the song has changed my life,” he says.

Across the album, that means uplifting choirs, cozy samples and exuberant, sometimes housetinged beats. “I am personally drawn to music that transports you to a place, or scene or mindset,” says Parment. This is topped with ruminative musings on morality and human connection; about the longer loves in life - like friendships, family - that sustain us. These come from Idehen and Parment, along with a host of friends and collaborators, including writers Leone Ross and Charlotte Manning and vocalist Amanda Bergman, to help expand on the topics of the record without sounding preachy. Similarly, there are musical guests including saxophonist Pete Fraser and Shabaka Hutchings on flute, each helping to imbue the album with a rich warmth.

After years of honing his craft, ‘I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try’ finds Joshua Idehen’s pen reaching the next level. This is work that is truly arresting - but simultaneously, thanks to Parment’s soundscapes, it often makes you want to wave your arms in the air and dance. In these bleak times that try to push us all further apart, it’s a beautiful, powerful manifesto for hope and collectivism. As Joshua puts it: “There’s a likelihood that we might be planting seeds that we won’t get to see harvested… but the planting is good. The planting is just as important as the watering and the tending and the harvesting. We all have to play a part so that we can have some redemption.”