Creative rebirth is when an artist takes a hiatus and when they return; they evolved into something more mature and filled with confidence. That’s what Josh Kincheloe did. He decided to take a hiatus because when creating music becomes more like a job it can become mentally draining which can cause an artist to start to lose that emotional connection towards their art. Creating music is meant to be an outlet for artists to be able to express how they are feeling to be able to resonate with their fans, but Josh started to realize that the outlet that he loved started to compress him in a dark spot. Becoming independent again allowed Josh to continue on making music that had meaning and being able to treat songwriting as an outlet for himself and others.

Glasslands released their brand new single “Blood In The Water” earlier this week that has such an ominous tone to it that’s filled with paranoia and pressure. The single has a hint of destruction and suffering to it especially as you analyze the music video. You see Josh sitting in a chair with wires connected to his head which can represent mental entrapment or being controlled by external forces. The imagery gives the viewer an idea that sometimes we are being controlled a toxic system which is technology and societal expectations. In other words; Josh represents the suffocation that can occur when the industry wants that full control. They want constant music being pushed out, but as you listen to the lyricism and watch the video at the same time; you can see disconnection because of the frustration and lack of not being able to be your own person again.

“We are pariah” is a strong lyric in the single because understanding the word “pariah” correlates to the meaning behind the core message of the song. Pariah is being rejected, misunderstood, or even treated as an outsider. When Josh sings the lyric he is refusing to conform to what the industry wants and that he is still here creating art without someone in his ear constantly wanting more and more.

Interviewer: For new fans; can you give us some insight about who you are as a musician? Older
fans know you took a hiatus from music for a while.

Josh: “Music has basically been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I got my first bass when I
was 7, then guitar and drums followed pretty quickly after that. I started my first band at 15, and from that point on, music was the only thing I ever really wanted to do. After high school, I started touring full time supporting other artists before eventually taking the risk and releasing music on my own with Glasslands. When I started Glasslands, I honestly hadn’t really written songs before and definitely didn’t see myself as a singer. A lot of it came out of just a need to create. Over the years, it’s kind of grown with me while I’ve been figuring out who I am. Not just as an artist, but as a human too.
And yeah, older fans know there was a period where I stepped away from music for a while. I hit a point where I was mentally exhausted and burned out. After years of touring and pouring everything into music, I lost connection with why I loved making it in the first place. I needed time away to reconnect with myself outside of all of it. Coming back changed my perspective completely. I stopped worrying so much about expectations and just focused on making music that felt cool to me. I think the newer material reflects that mindset.“

Interviewer: “Blood In The Water” is your upcoming release; what is the core message of the single
that you are trying to express to fans and possibly yourself?

Josh: “I’ve never liked over-explaining lyrics because I think once a song is out in the world, it should
belong to the listener just as much as it belongs to me. I’d rather people connect their own experiences to the music instead of feeling locked into one interpretation. That said, “Blood In The Water” definitely comes from a place of losing trust and feeling pretty burned. It’s about emotional exhaustion, betrayal, and reaching a point where part of you wants to burn everything down and walk away completely. A lot of the song was me processing that frustration in real time, but ultimately I’d rather listeners apply the lyrics to whatever that feeling looks like in their own lives.“

Interviewer: How does this release set the tone for what’s next?

Josh: “Lately, music has honestly felt the most fun and freeing it’s ever been for me because I’ve
stopped putting so much pressure on it. Being independent again helps too. There’s no
deadlines, no expectations, no trying to fit into some bigger agenda. I can just make stuff
whenever inspiration hits, and I think people can tell when music feels less forced. Right now,
the future of Glasslands is still kind of unfolding in real time, and I actually like it that way. I’ve just been enjoying writing, experimenting, and making weird or unexpected stuff whenever lightning strikes creatively instead of overthinking everything. I’d definitely love to play shows again at some point because I really miss the connection and energy that comes with that. And with the Pariah anniversary coming up, I’ve got some fun creative ideas planned for the people who’ve been around since the early days. More than anything though, this chapter just feels like reconnecting with why I loved making music in the first place.”

Interviewer: Like I said in question 1; you took a hiatus from music for a bit; What inspired you to
return to music at this point in your life?

Josh: “During my time away, I hit therapy really hard and focused on my mental health. I had to unpack
a lot. I think I’d tied so much of my self-worth to music for so long that I completely lost balance
as a human outside of that grind. Once I stopped forcing everything, the inspiration came back
naturally. Stepping away helped me reconnect with why I loved creating in the first place, and I
think that’s why the newer Glasslands material feels a lot more honest and natural to me.”

Interviewer: How different does this new chapter feel compared to your earlier work?

Josh: “Once Glasslands signed a record deal, the creative process had started feeling more like
pressure and responsibility than an actual outlet for me. I think that’s pretty common once more
people become involved and their expectations or livelihoods are tied into what you’re creating
too. So that period between Pariah and now felt a little confusing for me. What’s been really refreshing about this new chapter is that it honestly feels a lot like the Pariah era again. Back then there weren’t really expectations attached to the music yet. I was just creating because I loved it. This newer material feels like it’s coming from that same mindset again.”

Interviewer: Did stepping away help you rediscover your creativity?

Josh: “Yeah, completely but stepping away was honestly terrifying at first. There’s this fear in music
that if you stop, people will move on, the momentum will disappear, and everything you built is
over. There’s also this weird idea that artists have to stay miserable to make good art, so part of
me was genuinely afraid that going hard into therapy and getting healthier would somehow kill
my creativity. But honestly it helped me reconnect with myself and why I loved making music in
the first place. And I’m really grateful because Glasslands has such a loyal core fanbase that
stuck around through all of it. If anything, the newer releases have done just as well, if not
better, which kind of proved to me that there really are no rules to this. There’s freedom in
learning that.“

Interviewer: How does this release differ from the music you made before the break?

Josh: “I think the biggest difference now is that I trust myself a lot more as a songwriter and creative. I
honestly think I needed to experience all the roadblocks and difficulties because they forced me
into uncomfortable situations that made me grow and learn to trust my instincts. Now I feel more
comfortable making stuff that maybe not everyone would like but that I genuinely think is cool.
There’s no parameters around it so it feels freeing. “Bottom Feeder” and “Blood In The Water” are
examples of that. The first iterations of those songs were so insane and odd feeling because I
was just cooking up fun in my home studio and never thinking they were going to see the light of
day. I felt like a little kid playing. I think you can hear that freedom in there.”

Interviewer: Did time away from the music industry change your perspective on success?

Josh: “Yeah, I used to think success was all the usual industry stuff like numbers, streams, touring,
momentum, all of that. Or that hitting certain milestones would suddenly make me feel valid or
like I’d made it, but it never really did. It would just be like, “cool… on to the next thing.” Now I
actually feel incredibly successful in a much simpler way. I’ve got a core fanbase that’s been
patient and supportive through the whole journey and has stuck around for a decade, which is
still wild to me. The fact that people are still listening at all honestly blows my mind, and then
hearing that it’s helped them in some way… that’s everything. That’s what success is to me
now, just moving people or helping someone feel a little less alone.”

Interviewer: What excites you most about making music again?

Josh: “Right now, it feels like there are no rules, no limits, and no ceiling. Just pure creative freedom to
build whatever world Glasslands becomes next.”

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