Joshua Bassett’s rise to fame on the show High School Musical: The Musical: The series led to a successful career in developing his music as an independent artist.

Signing with Warner Records in 2020, the talented star has released two EPs- self-titled ‘Joshua Bassett’ in 2021 followed by ‘Sad Songs In A Hotel Room’ in 2022- eventually finding his sound in his debut album ‘The Golden Years’.

The long-awaited album was released on July 26th, 2024, spanning almost 40 minutes with 11 songs. Produced by Tommy English, Jonah Summerfield, and Jermey Hatcher (also a producer on Shawn Mendes’ Wonder and Harry Styles’ Fine Line & Harry’s House), the lyrics tell a cohesive story from start to finish.

‘Biting My Tongue’ and ‘Cherry Blossom’ were written four years back. ‘Biting My Tongue’ is a melodic song that was teased a few years ago and talked about holding back on speaking one’s feelings to keep it peaceful.

‘Cherry Blossom’ is a more upbeat whimsical tune that follows a new relationship, hoping it will last and being scared about what’s to come: “Oh my, my, my cherry blossom / Say you’re staying through the autumn / Oh my, my, my cherry blossom / Cherry, I’m falling / You pack the picnic, I’ll pick you up / Is it too early to call this love?”

The first single ‘The Golden Years’ was created earliest for the album’s bones. It tells the updated story of the relationship in ‘Cherry Blossom’: “I left you under the cherry tree that June / Back at the place where I told you that I loved you way too soon.”

Bassett explains that he still thinks about what happened: “If I woulda known those were the golden years / I woulda held you longer that night when you kissed me goodbye through your tears.”

The second single ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ portrays struggling with seeing someone you used to care about and having flashbacks of the relationship. Though the message is melancholic, it’s cheerful and a fan favorite.

‘Mirror’ was the last to be composed. His audience and peers have very well received it as it stems from a more Gospel side with raw vocals, a piano, and percussion instruments.

His verses encapsulate not recognizing himself and needing help: “The light in my eyes, I can’t seem to find/And I don’t recognize the face in the mirror/Won’t somebody help me?” Bassett previously struggled with substance abuse, and though not stated by the artist, there is a strong correlation between the events of the song and his past.

Each song on the tracklist has its unique sound and metaphorical history that creates a marvy story, but is it? He claimed these last few years were his best, but objectively it may seem that it was filled with suffering.

‘Look How Far You’ve Come’ is a noteworthy example. The musician uses simple strumming patterns and the same flowy tune to carry the album home. He relishes in the fact that he’s survived, and inspires his fans to never give up: “The world is gonna need you, love / So do the best you can/ You can’t seem to get back up just/ Look how, look how, look how far you’ve come.” 

The artist used his previous struggles to shed light on important topics such as drugs, abuse, and religion on his latest tour. His tour stretched from Los Angeles to New York, to the UK, France, and more. Bassett firmly believes in spreading positivity and encourages others to do the same.