Joshua Whalen’s newest EP, “The Bluebird, The Oak and The Crow,” due out in October of this year, is perhaps his biggest step to date, an ambitious concept album that is also his most mature outing.

The album will be his largest studio production yet, and revolves around the combination of different aspects of life everybody deals with.

“It’s taken from the aspects of human nature and the nature around us,” Whalen said recently. “We’re bridging these three different worlds and bring them together.”

Whalen’s act now encompasses Jessica Williams on vocals and Victoria Torkelson playing violin and backing vocals.

It’s the logical next step that Whalen is excited to continue pursuing.

“They bring a whole new dimension to it,” Whalen said. “It was always just me writing songs expressing myself and those things around me. They add in their own little stories into those that I already created.”

“It adds more dimension and brings the whole act onto a whole different level,” he finished.

But that is only one more aspect of a career that is growing at an amazing rate. The move to a larger studio, Drop Tone Studios in Excelsior, Minn., was a logical next step.

It will allow him to expand his sound and give listeners something they don’t get in a live performance.

“We’re going to have a lot more studio time in a big studio,” Whalen said.

With this next step comes with a certain level of balance. While his sound continues to grow and gain a richer depth, he doesn’t want to risk alienating fans that have become accustomed to what he provides.

“The last thing I want to is take a step back and turn it into something people can’t reach,” Whalen said. “I want to be right there with my audience and the fans. It’s going to be finding a way to bring some new elements to the music for the fans without pulling my music and taking that away.”

In that vein, Whalen has taken his show on the road.

The recent, seven-state tour he, Williams and Torkelson went on was something that Whalen himself said was one of the most amazing experiences yet.

“Reaching out to try and sustain on the road is a whole different ball game,” Whalen said. “It’s a huge step to be able to tour around the west coast in states and cities I’ve never been before. It’s great to go out and see what your music does in different parts of the country.”

It all leads back to Whalen being happy at where he is with a wide-open book leading to the next chapter.

“I’m happy and comfortable with what I’ve created,” Whalen said. “I don’t want to tear that down.”