Josh Orange’s newest single, “Believers & Dreamers (What Have We Become),” arrives like a long-awaited reckoning, part protest song, part soul-searching ballad, and wholly unapologetic in its intent. Forged in the seasoned hands of a band two decades strong, this track doesn’t just ask questions, it demands that we think, open our hearts, and answer them!
Opening with the haunting shimmer of Kaela’s harp, the song glides into unexpected sonic terrain before detonating into a wall of rugged guitar and smoldering vocals. It’s an aesthetic contrast that works, almost defiant in its beauty, mirroring the tension of the lyrics.
Produced by guitarist Andrew Wass and engineered by Ben Worsey at Everland Studios in Sydney, the song bears a sense of lived-in urgency. Every instrument feels deliberate, from the spontaneous addition of a saxophone (a moment of pure serendipity thanks to drummer Alex Miller’s daughter) to the searing mix by legendary producer Tim Palmer, whose fingerprints are unmistakably present. Palmer’s ability to layer clarity over chaos lends gravity to the song’s central refrain: What have we become?
There’s no mistaking the influence of their Irish-Australian roots, Josh Orange draws from a lineage of storytelling that is both poetic and raw. And while some might detect shades of The Killers, Dire Straits, or Dylan, this song isn’t derivative. It’s a natural evolution for a band that’s built its sound through grit, grief, and grace. Lead vocalist Gordon Burke, whose own musical journey winds through award-winning acts and festival stages, sounds like a man who has seen too much and still chooses to believe.
Clocking in at a heart-racing 138BPM, “Believers & Dreamers” is a rallying cry disguised as a rock song. It carries the dust of road-weary hope and the bite of disillusionment. But within it lives a challenge, to keep imagining something better, even when the world tells you to stop!
Josh Orange will launch the single live at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville this August. Judging by the weight of this release, that night might feel less like a concert and more like communion!
For the ones still willing to raise their voice. For the ones still daring to dream. This song is for you!
