But it turns out that he’s moved back to the States. As he tells me over the phone from his tour bus rolling through Idaho, “I still have a place in Spain, but I have moved to New York City — we kind of have two home bases now. I lived in Spain full-time for about three years, though.” Having lived in Spain for a period of time myself years ago, I know how much a positive effect the Spanish, laid-back way of life can have on a person. Josh agrees.

“I’ve actually mellowed out some more,” he says, “and I think maybe I was mellow before. I move much slower now — I even blink slow. “Living in Spain is kind of like being on vacation, everything is slower,” he says, laughing. “Maybe that’s relaxed me even more. I’m not far from doing New Age, keyboard instrumental stuff.

Maybe that will be my next record.” (Tongue embedded in cheek, don’t worry.) While it’s true that most of Rouse’s music shares a deceptively breezy, light vibe, there’s still a definite streak of melancholy that threads through his recent material, which gives it more heft than you might think on first listen. His buoyant melodies rise to the fore as his reedy tenor floats over the chord changes.

His best songs radiate a minimalist Pop confection that bubbles up into an all-encompassing soulful warmth. It’s no coincidence that John Mayer personally asked Rouse to open for him on a series of dates this year, even writing about him on his blog. Mayer’s commercial sense and taste in music coalesce here. In a perfect world Rouse’s music would glide over the FM airwaves and swoop down over the carrion of the playlists.