Local Review: The Boy in Blue – For What It’s Worth

The Boy in Blue
For What It’s Worth
Mountain Blue Records
Street: 03.05.2026
The Boy in Blue = Noah Kahan – Hozier ÷ Gregory Alan Isakov 

On the cover of this Ogden-native’s debut EP, The Boy in Blue lies in repose with his luggage in tow, pairing a suit and tie with long and loose hair. Sketched in cyanotypic tones, The Boy lies alone in a snow-tipped mountain valley — under the great protective pyramid of Ben Lomond Peak, one might imagine — which is exactly the kind of atmosphere these songs conjure. I know it seems like so long ago in this summer heat, but do you remember snow? Like, really remember it? Yes, the beautiful snow, the kind that quiets the valley and cleans our lungs and leaves only the sound of robin song in the morning, the big iridescent cotton-candy rounds of powder we take such pride in around here — but do you also remember the kind of snow that lingers around? Turns into sludge? Turns frigid, turgid, filthy and sharp? Sticks around on the mountains when all you really want is spring?

If you need a chilled-out reminder of this snowy spectrum to cool you off, take a moment to “paint the world blue,” as The Boy, actually artist Joshua Boyette, longs for in his lyrics. Don’t let that fool you into thinking the tracks are depressing, however. They’re anything but! This is an EP that invites listeners to think about life and love, the color blue and the city of Ogden (you know, the big stuff) with a lot more depth. As Goethe wrote, “We love to contemplate blue, not because it advances to us but because it draws us after it.” For What It’s Worth is a collection of pensive, folksy tracks, embodying a sense of youthful yearning and discovery. The Boy establishes his identity on this EP, both as an artist and as an individual; he is a troubadour, a transcendentalist, a thinker and, as the opening track reports: “Still A Boy.” This is a cloudgazing, coming-of-age kind of song, which sets the tone for the EP as a whole.

Here, the sweet and jangly guitar-forward melody accompanies the essential angst at the heart of the tracks: “Just a boy still learning how / To paint the world blue if I could / Starting with my dirty blood / In my veins misunderstood.” The song’s chorus, however, is bright and reminiscent; on stage, The Boy can pick up his “scattered dreams” and remember “the good old days when I used to sing about love.” It’s nostalgic and a kind of ars poetica; as a childhood cancer survivor, Boyette’s songwriting reveals both a mourning for  lost boyhood and a sense of hopeful optimism through music. This kind of dualism drives the EP — in “All For Nothing,” performed with fellow Utah singer-songwriters Caden Holmes and Karlie McKinnon, a lover’s quarrel results in the swelling three-part chorus: “Tell me about love in the morning / Tell me it’s not all for nothing.” 

In “Keep The Change,” Boyette narrates the traveling troubadour experience. Each verse begins with a new day and a new hotel nap experience, ranging from “rainy” to “melancholy” to “happy” depending on the generosity of passersby and the tips they leave. Busking on 25th Street in Ye Olde Ogden Town and dreaming of New York City, The Boy in Blue faces the classic struggle of the traveling singer: to stay in town or to kick on down the road? And doesn’t it all depend on love and money in the end? While leaving town holds glittering promise, staying also means staying for a relationship. Classic dilemma! The Boy considers bringing his lover along on the road in mournful tones, and we get the refrain: “Only time will tell if you’ll follow.” It’s both the most romantic and the moodiest track on the EP. “Mr. Operation” closes off the collection as a sort of mirror to “Just A Boy.” It’s a call to songwriting on the winter wind, with finger-picked acoustics and Boyette’s airy, longing vocals. 

The best and catchiest tune in the set is the middle track, “The Songs We Sang.” It’s bluesy (of course), twangy and reminiscent of James Taylor. It’s ready-made for your family road trip playlist. Like “Keep The Change,” it’s about the traveling troubadour life, but here it’s fully embraced: the rhythm of the highway, the river and the band breeds romanticism and kinship and joy. There’s a big classic 90s-country guitar solo full of gusto to boot! Listen to “The Songs We Sang” and the rest of For What It’s Worth, streaming on Spotify. —Libby Leonard

Read more reviews from Libby Leonard below:
Suffering is Softening with Vagabon’s Latest Album
Hear! Hear! Kimball Art Center’s (Re)sounding

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