MULTITRACKS
THIS IS THE GOSPEL : A CONVERSATION WITH JOSH HOLIDAY OF ELEVATION RHYTHM | Monica Moser
With youth and young adults at the forefront of their mission , ELEVATION RHYTHM believes in writing and recording songs with a variety of bold sounds , textures , and genres . In doing so , they aim to create a space for those searching for purpose , identity , and acceptance to encounter Jesus .
Josh Holiday shares about their new album , This Is The Gospel , and how it focuses on key biblical truths . Jesus sacrificed Himself for us , He loves us deeply , and we have a choice to make .
[ Monica Moser ] Tell us about the album opener “ Good News ,” which serves as almost an overture ? There ’ s a lot going on : there are production elements , a voiceover , a gospel choir , and more . It really creates this powerful , anticipatory atmosphere .
[ Josh Holiday ] I actually made that during a Rhythm Offsite . I had taken the team to this cabin in the mountains for the weekend and one morning while we were there I woke up with the idea for this track .
We had already recorded the album but I knew I wanted an intro . An intro that sonically represented the Bible .
There are 3 parts to this opener . The beginning has this feeling of stars being created and a garden growing , it represents the creation of life . The middle part has the feeling of a journey beginning . And the end is the sound of the return of the King !
The voice over is actually an NYC street preacher . I found a YouTube video of him preaching and I used his message to narrate those 3 parts .
[ WM ] You said about this release : “ I just knew this next album had to be truth-centered , and I wanted to create music that was going to be foundational for this next generation in their faith journey .” What aspects of the Truth specifically were dwelled on / prayed over in the writing process ?
[ Josh ] I wanted to focus on some of the pillars of our faith .
One , Jesus died for our sins ! Two , we are loved . Three , if we believe in Jesus and confess that He is Lord we will spend eternity with Him .
These are some of the truths that we focused on while writing and creating the album .
[ WM ] And this may be hard to choose , but if you could pick one song for someone in the generation following yours to hear , what would it be and why ?
[ Josh ] I would choose “ Streetlights .” This song focuses on the feeling of being lost and wanting to experience life again and feel loved again .
It ’ s a reminder that you can always run home to the Father no matter where you are or how far you ’ ve gone .
[ WM ] When you all were at MultiTracks capturing sessions versions , we talked about how there are more members of RHYTHM than people may think . Tell us about the purpose behind that - of not necessarily having a “ face ” of the group .
26 June 2023 Subscribe for Free ...