Singer-songwriter Steve Edwards returns with a new single, “Joe,” a deeply introspective and emotionally restrained track that explores the unresolved tension between distance, friendship, and finality. It follows his acclaimed 2023 single “Broken Bones,” which earned widespread attention for its candid take on resilience in the aftermath of emotional trauma. Where “Broken Bones” fought its way through pain, “Joe” seems to surrender to it.
Built on understated production and lyrical simplicity, “Joe” reads like a personal letter—unfinished, unmailed, and deeply felt. Edwards sings directly to the titular figure, acknowledging emotional distance with lines like “He’s a thousand miles from here / And here’s a thousand miles too near.” It’s a moment of reckoning with a bond that’s either fractured or permanently out of reach.
The single expands on Steve Edwards’ reputation for thoughtful, lived-in songwriting. After the success of his 2022 album Born—which peaked at No. 1 on iTunes in Israel, France, Armenia, Romania, Poland, and Jordan—Edwards stepped back from industry expectations. That album marked a turning point after a long personal hiatus focused on sobriety and family. Its impact reached beyond just streaming numbers, landing in top positions on Shazam charts in Hamilton and Buffalo.
“Joe” leaves the story open, unresolved, and deliberately so. For Steve Edwards, that seems to be the point: some distances stay, some words don’t arrive in time, and some songs are just there to mark that fact.