Josh Raines
Pop Americana songs that bop
"I'm an Addiction Medicine doctor that helps people with their mental health, and I create music to help with my own mental health."
Daydreaming and Quiet Ghost
Josh Raines' new singles Daydreaming and Quiet Ghost were produced and recorded by Raines and mixed by 7-time Grammy-nominated mixing engineer and producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Depeche Mode, Phoenix, The Kooks, Fitz and the Tantrums, KT Tunstall, Ben Rector, M83, Foster the People, and more). Daydreaming and Quiet Ghost are Raines' first songs openly addressing his struggles with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. “If you like songs about depression that aren't depressing, I'm your guy,” says Raines. These singles come in the wake of a viral moment that lasted several months while discussing a rapidly changing music industry, garnering over 13 million views on Instagram alone.
Press / Reviews
Josh Raines fits right into the Jungian archetype of the wounded healer; his latest single, Daydreaming, is his most potent dose of medicine yet. The addiction-medicine doctor and pop-Americana songwriter creates music to help his own mental health while helping others with theirs, giving the single an unusually sincere foundation beneath its sun-drunk melodic lift.
Semi-lucid reverie takes the form of surfy 60s indie pop as the earworm defies gravity and wraps you up in melodies that echo the woozy euphoria of Foster the People’s iconic single, Pumped Up Kicks, just with a few more oceanic waves lapping against the shore of the single, delivering an unrivalled high; you know it’s efficacious when an outro leaves you with a comedown.
All of the imagery in the lyrics only serves to take you higher as Raines enmeshes dream-like visuals with swoons of soulful sincerity. Produced and recorded by Raines, then mixed by seven-time Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Tony Hoffer, whose credits include Beck, Air, Depeche Mode, Phoenix, M83 and Foster the People, Daydreaming has the clarity and melodic architecture to travel far beyond indie-pop playlists.
Following a viral online moment that pulled millions into his orbit, Raines sounds ready for a wider audience. Even without a mainstream to declare a definitive song of the summer, Daydreaming is guaranteed to soundtrack the season for everyone who resonates with it.
"Don’t Sleep on ‘Two Bears’ — Josh Raines’ Chorus Game Is Unfairly Strong
Here’s what stands out about ‘Two Bears’ by Josh Raines: it’s tender, melodic, and instantly inviting. The track radiates warmth, built around a sense of intimacy that feels both genuine and deliberately crafted.
And yes, I said huggable. I’m talking cardigan weather, snowed-in-at-the-farm energy — which, fun fact, is exactly how and where the song was born. Josh wrote it about his wife during a snowstorm in Tennessee, and you can hear all that affection baked into the track. It’s got that cozy Americana glaze on top, but with a pop heartbeat keeping everything moving.
But let’s talk about the real MVP here: the chorus. It’s one of those “oh damn” choruses. Sticky in a good way. Like, eat-some-honey-while-wearing-a-flannel kind of sticky. It’s a hug and a hook in one. And once it lands, you get it. That’s the moment the song really takes off — not in a “fireworks and drama” kind of way, but in that “yup, I’m adding this to my ‘feels good’ playlist” way.
Josh Raines opens the door to a warm house deep in a snowy forest, where the fireplace crackles, the air smells of wood, and beside him is the one this song is all about. He’s head over heels in love, and this track is a confession — quiet and gentle, like a morning where nothing interrupts the two of you.
SCORE 9/10
Bears approved."
Nashville-based Josh Raines confronts personal tumult on new single “Daydreaming,” written after overcoming depression and described as “about when our minds are in a tough place, thinking about the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s.” The project comes via producer and songwriter Josh Wienczkowski
Twangy, soaring guitars exude a rock-forward spiritedness, while Raines’ smoothly melodic vocals shift seamlessly from the “waking from a fever dream” lush contemplations to escalated moments, particularly in a riveting finale with high-flying, ascended-pitch theatrics. “Floating through the day, think I’m in the Upside Down,” calming vocal layers delight in the verses, venturing to the title-referencing chorus, simultaneously jubilant and introspective. “Daydreaming” is a harmoniously impactful success of a single from Josh Raines.
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