The Joy Formidable - Into The Blue (2021) [FLAC]

Released ................ 2021
Source .................. CD
Genre ................... rock, alternative, indie
Codec ................... FLAC
Bit Depth ............... 16 bits
Sampling Rate ........... 44.1 kHz

It's hard to think of another indie rock band that's as consistently compelling as the Joy Formidable. Every album is a polished gemstone of heart-bludgeoning alt-rock, teetering in a magical netherworld between My Bloody Valentine and the Pixies. It's a sound that crashes through whatever your current mood is and buries you deep within its smoldering, lyrical magma. The group's fifth album, 2021's pulse-quickening Into the Blue, is no exception. Recorded in Utah where the Welsh trio have lived on-and-off since at least 2018, Into the Blue finds guitarist/vocalist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd Davies, and drummer Matt Thomas crafting a shimmering batch of sun-baked, dune-high anthems. There's a lovely dichotomy to the Joy Formidable's sound here, at once economic in its raw, guitar/bass/drums conception, yet far-reaching with a dynamic sonic palette that soars to the horizon. It's an epic quality that's mirrored in their lyrics. With their dewy vocals expertly off-set by their fuzztone, tidal-wave guitar riffs, Bryan and Davies (former romantic partners who overcame their 2013 break-up to keep the band going) dive into songs that explore their need to find ways to continually reconnect with the divine magic that initially inspired their creative passion. On the title-track they sing, "Now I see this place was here all along/Don't fear the move out of the past/Let time take your hand and guide you." It's just this kind of poignant Zen alchemy that the Joy Formidable returns to time and again on Into the Blue. It's a sound that demands your surrender, which you don't mind giving in to.

01 - Into the Blue
02 - Chimes
03 - Sevier
04 - Interval
05 - Farrago
06 - Gotta Feed My Dog
07 - Somewhere New
08 - Bring It to the Front
09 - Back to Nothing
10 - Only Once