Joe Hubley shares debut single, Post Up.

Halifax native and current Mount Allison University student Joe Hubley makes his debut with the infectious pop-inspired single, Post Up.

Matt Carter

19 year old Joe Hubley credits the influence of Motown Records for sparking his initial interest in writing and performing.

“I found a whole world of soul, funk, disco, and heartfelt pop music, and I had never felt more inspired to create,” he said. “Music has always been something there to calm me down or pick me up when nobody else was.”

Over the past few years, Hubley has written and recorded hundreds of demos in search of a sound that represents his creative vision and the vast catalogue of influences that feed his work. This period of refinement has finally culminated in this debut single, Post Up.

“Each song is so intricate and unique, and so the way each one comes about is always very different,” he said. “The best ideas are the ones I once heard described as ‘vomit moments’. You know the feeling when you think you’re about to throw up? Complete shock paired with, ‘nobody move or I’m going to throw up!’ It’s sort of similar to when you are blitzkrieged by a really great idea and you can’t think about anything else until you try and recreate what you heard in your head. In those few intense seconds, it almost seems as if your life depends on it. Long story short, this was one of those moments, and the whole song completely unfurled into my laptop in about 15 minutes or so.”

Hubley’s objective with this track was to tap into the same soulful approach to songwriting and delivery as the Motown records that inspired him while experimenting with modern synth-driven production. That’s when he hooked up with the Halifax-based audio production company, Üthful.

“I brought the demo in and they completely broke down the barriers of my expectations. Thanks to Em Bowden-Gil, Colleen Shaw and Braden Kamermans, this song transcended into a whole sonic universe that I never thought possible. The song was engineered, produced, as well as mixed and mastered by Em Bowden-Gil in their beautiful North-End Halifax studio space. I cannot thank them enough for the work they put into this one, and I’m elated by the progress of the other music we are creating in the studio as we speak.”

Post Up gives a nod to Motown as well as eighties synth pop, with modern production lifting Hubley’s voice and words to create a palpable momentum impossible to ignore.

“I used to be embarrassed to show off my music,” said Hubley. “Now I could not be more thrilled at the thought of new brains and ears hearing my debut single.

Post Up was released April 7, 2023.