Gympie singer songwriter Aspy Jones officially released his new single Hush at midnight on 30 March.
Hush is about learning empathy and compassion and successfully managing anxiety. It’s a positive song with a soaring chorus where Aspy urges himself and anyone with anxiety to “hush your mind”.
Usually playing an indie folk sound, Hush is Aspy’s move to a rockier beat. Delivered in a classic pop rock style, the driving bassline and strong vocals convey the urgency of raw and powerful lyrics.
Aspy’s influences are Kings of Leon and Mumford and Sons who sing about heavy topics with positive messages. Similarly, Hush is a positive song about Aspy’s journey to calm his own and others’ anxiety.
“It’s an upbeat song with an uplifting message although it’s about a serious issue,” he says.
Aspy, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a child, cleverly incorporates mental health issues into his songs in a way people, with or without a disability, can relate to.
“Anxiety and learning to be empathetic and compassionate to other people and their feelings is a common thing people struggle with,” he says.
“I hope the song will appeal to anyone of any age who has been through similar experiences.”
Aspy Jones (real name Ethan Roberts) chose the name Aspy to reclaim the shorthand term used for Asperger’s Syndrome and added his grandfather’s surname, Jones, to make up his stage name.
“The word Aspy doesn’t have negative connotations to me,” he said.
“By calling myself Aspy, I’m changing the power of the word. I would love to be the role model I never had in the music industry.”
Hush was produced with ARIA award-winning producer Paulie Bromlie and Steve Summers at Yama-Nui Studios on the Sunshine Coast and funded by a grant from Arts Queensland’s Regional Arts Development Fund. The song was a finalist in Listen Up Songwriting Prize in Nov 2022 out of thousands of entries.
