Seattle-based artist Josh Jensen returns with ‘Be Human’, a stripped-back track that gently urges its listeners toward empathy and connection. The single arrives as both a lyrical meditation and a celebration of grassroots collaboration, featuring harmonies and fiddle work from fellow Washingtones Records artist Hannah Wyatt.
There’s an unmistakable warmth to ‘Be Human’, the kind that feels like a campfire performance between old friends. Jensen’s delivery is understated and expressive, offering lines that quietly land with impact. It’s the kind of songwriting that pulls from the tradition of great storytellers. Drawing subtle inspiration from Bob Dylan and the cinematic lens of A Complete Unknown, Jensen nods to the infamous Newport Folk Festival moment, but recasts the scene as an opportunity to listen, reflect, and move forward.
While the track’s themes are timeless, the recording process was anything but traditional. Jensen laid down his parts entirely on a phone, a fittingly modern act of DIY ethos. Rather than polish away the edges, producer Luke Rain leaned into the lo-fi charm, elevating the raw demo into a refined listening experience. While Hannah Wyatt’s stirring strings and light vocal layers add depth in rounding out the mix.
The track is gently persuasive, asking us to slow down and notice what connects us. “’Be Human’ includes a more mature sound and story,” Jensen says, “that highlights [my] evolution as an artist and songwriter.” That growth is audible throughout the song’s three-minute runtime, which unfolds like a quiet walk through a city waking up.
‘Be Human’ is Josh Jensen’s way of saying that despite all the noise in the world, music still has the power to centre us, to remind us who we are at our core. With a slot at NW Folk Life Festival on the horizon, Jensen’s message feels especially timely. In a culture that too often prizes division, ‘Be Human’ is a gentle nudge back toward the heart.
