Josh Ottum Releases 'Heart To Heart,' The Third Album In His Full Moon Album Series

Josh Ottum has released HEART TO HEART, the third installment in his Full Moon Albums Project, a series that pairs a new album with each full moon over a planned three-year span. The album features Kosta Galanopoulos of FRUIT BATS and Delicate Steve, Luke Temple of Art Feynman and Here We Go Magic, and Erica Shafer of PEARL & THE OYSTERS, Weyes Blood, and Miley Cyrus. It was recorded and mixed by Chris Schlarb.

Josh Ottum is a California-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose career spans more than twenty years of recording, touring, and collaboration. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, Ottum has built a body of work rooted in melody, experimentation, and long-form creative practice. Most recently, Ottum plans to release an album on each full moon for three years. Working in the midst of an ambitious stretch of recording resulting in 36 completed albums (and counting)—the project is expansive and ongoing, documenting a sustained commitment to process. This project is a long-form recording series built around the lunar cycle: a new album released on each of the next 36 full moons; a project that will unfold over three years. Guided by repetition, limitation, and momentum, the series is less about individual releases and more about accumulation—an evolving catalog that could continue indefinitely.

The overall set of albums features a wide-ranging cast of contributors, including James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift, The National), Luke Temple (Here We Go Magic, Art Feynman), Ryan Richter (Dijon, Lizzy McAlpine), Yuuki Matthews (The Shins), Frank Lenz (Aaron Lee Tasjan, Starflyer 59), Tyler Cash (Devendra Banhart, Lord Huron), Davin Givhan (Leon Bridges, Chris Cohen, Diiv), Ben Lumsdaine (Durand Jones, Jeff Parker), and Dory Bavarsky (Blake Mills, Pino Palladino, Japanese Breakfast). Engineers include Rob Shelton, James Riotto, Spencer Hartling, and Chris Schlarb. Their collective credits span indie rock, pop, jazz, and modern soul, lending Ottum's future albums a sense of depth and tonal variety.

Over the years, he has played and recorded with Richard Swift and David Bazan, and most recently was featured on a song alongside members of The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, and Rosie Thomas—an appearance that reflects his long-standing ties to the Pacific Northwest. In the early 2000s, Ottum toured extensively throughout Europe, sharing stages with artists including M. Ward, and has since toured internationally multiple times. His songs have appeared on a range of television programs, introducing his work to audiences beyond the independent music world.

In addition to releasing music for two decades, Ottum is the author of Sound Foundations, a guide to creative music-making and process. He also maintains an active Substack, 'Sounds Like You,' where he posts a creative prompt each Friday and writes about songwriting, collaboration, and sustaining an artistic life.

Album Details

Josh Ottum

Heart To Heart

(Quality Musical Services International)

Street date: July 29, 2026

Tracklist

Ant Colony

Carrie

Heart To Heart

Emotional Rollercoaster

Grown Up

Monumental

Separate From Reality

Ottum, a California-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in San Luis Obispo, has described the Full Moon Albums Project as an evolving, long-form recording series built around the lunar cycle rather than individual releases. The broader project draws on a wide roster of contributors, including James McAlister, Ryan Richter, Yuuki Matthews, Frank Lenz, Tyler Cash, Davin Givhan, Ben Lumsdaine, and Dory Bavarsky, alongside engineers Rob Shelton, James Riotto, Spencer Hartling, and Chris Schlarb.

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