Where do you feel at home? It’s a question that returns to us again and again, shifting shape as we move through life. For Josef Scott, it became the heart of his latest work. The feeling of home — the warmth, the nostalgia, the memories stitched into landscapes — is something he’s wrapped into a beautiful EP that feels like being held by a soft blanket. “Home, to me, is the people I love, the memories I carry, and the spaces where I feel most myself.”
Born and raised in New Zealand, Josef grew up surrounded by nature, quiet corners, and that expansive sense of space unique to island life. But after moving overseas, he began to see things differently — not just the world, but himself. The sense of home started to blur, stretch, and eventually evolve into something more internal, more emotional than geographical.
That quiet shift sits at the center of Beacon Hill, his new EP written and recorded in Boston. It’s a project shaped by reflection — by returning to New Zealand after years away and realizing: neither home nor self had remained the same. The EP drifts between intimacy and distance, between warmth and uncertainty, and invites listeners into that in-between space. “I hadn’t lost a part of myself — old pathways were just making way for new ones.”
In our conversation, Josef opened up about those moments of realignment, about songwriting as instinct and therapy, and about how we all carry fragments of home with us, wherever we go.
photography by Benjamin Weingart
Josef, I love your new EP Beacon Hill — it’s so calm and wraps me in a kind of warmth. How would you describe it yourself?
Thank you! Beacon Hill is a project about nostalgia, reflection, and self-discovery. It was shaped by my experience of going back to New Zealand for the first time since moving overseas, only to realise that both home and I had changed. That feeling stayed with me when I returned to Boston, where I wrote and recorded the EP. Sonically, I wanted it to feel intimate – layered with warm acoustic guitars, soft synths, and hazy textures – like stepping into a familiar space but seeing it through a different lens.
“Picture Me” is my favourite track from it. It feels so nostalgic but heartfelt at the same time. Can you tell me more about it?
I wrote “Picture Me” one afternoon in my apartment while messing around on my acoustic guitar. It came from reminiscing about when I first met my partner back home – that rush of excitement, the uncertainty, wondering if they saw me the way I saw them. I kept the recording simple and natural to hold onto that feeling.
“Home, to me, is the people I love, the memories I carry, and the spaces where I feel most myself.”
I also love the artwork for the EP—this house in the woods. I feel so at home in the woods myself. Why did you choose that picture?
I remember taking this photo vividly – one morning, about an hour’s drive from Boston, near a lake by the Rhode Island and Connecticut border. On a pathway from the car park toward the lake, I came across this small hut tucked away to the side, just as the morning light started to shine through the trees. At the time, I was just excited about the image, but later, I realised how perfectly it captured the essence of the project. It represents the idea of home as both a physical place and a feeling. A house in the woods can be warm and inviting, but also isolated. I wanted the artwork to reflect that contrast, mirroring the themes of the EP.
You said that the full EP “is a project about returning home and realising that home isn’t the same, and maybe I’m not either. It was comforting, but it also made me question everything I had worked toward.” What exactly did it make you question?
It made me question whether the sacrifices I’d made by moving overseas were worth it. Leaving home was necessary for my growth, but coming back made me wonder if I had lost part of myself. A place that once felt familiar now felt different, and at the time, I wasn’t sure if that change was a good thing. But once I returned to Boston, everything clicked, and I realised I hadn’t lost a part of myself – old pathways were just making way for new ones.
I think the meaning of “home” changes over time, depending on which stage of life someone is in. What does home mean to you right now?
Home, to me, is the people I love, the memories I carry, and the spaces where I feel most myself. It’s something that I can take with me wherever I go – it’s at its best when it’s filled with those I love most.
“I realised I hadn’t lost a part of myself — old pathways were just making way for new ones.”
Tell us about your creative process when working on a song. How do you usually start— with a melody, or with the lyrics?
More often than not, it starts with a melody or chord progression that sparks something emotionally. I like to work quickly and instinctively, humming melodies, throwing around words or phrases and letting the mood of the music guide the lyrics. Sometimes, a single lyric comes first, and I build the song around that. It’s always different, but I try to follow what feels natural in the moment.
Where do you see yourself in around 10 years?
Right now, I’m not sure, and I’m okay with that. Music will always be a part of my life, whether I’m recording songs in my home studio or touring the world. Ultimately, I just want to be at peace with where I’m at, surrounded by those I love and a community of like-minded people. Building a music career and navigating this ever-changing landscape can be stressful, but my focus is on creating and staying true to myself. I believe that if I do that, everything else will fall into place.
And finally – what’s the most important thing in life?
Doing what makes you happy. Life’s too short to spend it any other way.
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