Joshua Baptista (originally called just Josh. and known online as localacquaintance) is 18 years old and lives in London, UK. Over 2 years, he's released 37 songs, fully written and recorded by him from heartfelt indie-pop songs about love to more ambient experimental songs drenched in guitar tones to raw acoustic ballads about heartbreak and turmoil and even a few comedy songs about Covid-19 and U.K. Beaches. He started learning guitar at the age of 14 after getting heavily into classic rock records and continues to practice alongside singing, not one to shy away from performing at local school events and even busking occasionally. Joshua has a powerful range in his voice from deep and sensational to powerful and emotional highs in his falsetto. He has independently released all his music online, creating all album artworks and promotional material such as music videos, Instagram posts and TikToks recently.

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Baptista's influence vary widely. From lyricism inspired by the works of Pink Floyd and Queen to song production being inspired by Wilbur Soot and Mac DeMarco - this mix of influences makes it hard to place Baptista in one box. However, he aspires to be different - taking indie-pop and alternative rock and flipping it on it's head and bringing something new to the table with catchy hooks that never leave your head, painted with glittery guitar all recorded in his bedroom. Josh records most, if not all, his music using live instruments through a USB microphone into simple basic DAW's, with his latter works being mixed more conventionally by MorrisMusic. He is very much interested in expanding his sonic-soundscape by introducing a live band and even live orchestras into his production, however he lacks the budget to do so currently.

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In 2020, he started his career with “Acoustic Ballads for Loners and Suchlike” – a small miniature release about a hopeless romantic backed up purely by himself and a acoustic classical guitar. This had the comedic single “London Beaches” – fusing folk, rap and bedroom pop for a quick laugh and jab at UK seaside’s.

This was followed by the release of his E.P. “sorry i’m having one of those days” – later expanded with two additional tracks to be more complete. While keeping the raw recordings and combination of solely voice and guitar, the release saw Baptista going back past love and attempting to tackle more in-depth themes such as politics, frustration, repetition, the idea of memories and object permeance and death itself. It takes a very anti-folk feel, akin to Crywank, and was recorded with phone voice recorders to give a lo-fi feeling.

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Following this was the grand sophomore album “Drawing Hearts” (later expanded in a deluxe edition). Written and recorded over 2021, this indie-pop album saw Baptista play with electric guitars, percussive elements, experimental mixing and wider soundscapes. The albu, was all about being young, being in love and lovers blooming over hard times over lockdown. It featured singles “Sleeping On My Shoulder” and “Goodbye Sixteen (I Don’t Want To Grow Up)”.

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Following a writer’s block – Baptista prioritized on singles and E.P.’s starting with “Urban Outfitters” in late 2021 – a huge departure from previous softer sounds to go into a hard crunchy indie rock song about feeling entrapped in a clothes shop.

In 2022, Baptista released a flurry of singles, from comedic rap song “Redacted Virus (A.K.A London Beaches II) – a sequel to London Beaches about catching Covid-19. Followed by experimental E.P. "To Wander Aimlessly is Very Unswinging” which features three experimental songs ranging from singer-songwriter, to a prog suite and a shoegaze closure and featuring fan-favourite “In My Little Corner of Memories”.

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During the summer saw the release of “Memento Vivere” – the spiritual successor to “Drawing Hearts”. The last E.P. was the most polished release from Baptista (being mixed by remixer Morris) which has chorus-drenched pop vibes and two emotional slow numbers. The E.P. was a reminder that you should “remember to live” out there and enjoy the moment and featured songs “Drive to Nowhere” and “Maybe I Like Them”.

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To conclude on his releases of 2022 – Josh released single “Acoustic Beginnings (2022 Version)” – a long-awaited remake of a fan-favourite from his first album. Baptista has said “It’s an ode to my younger self, my friend that helped out in London Beaches, and any others who feel disheartened to continue their dreams. It’s an old song I had written on my first album but never felt the recording was good enough.”

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In mid-2023, Joshua plans to release "The Very Best of Josh. (2020-2022)", compiling his best songs from the indie-period, remixing them and remastering them to be much more high quality and produced with balanced EQ, added bass, and new re-recorded vocals