The music of Welsh band The Joy Formidable occupies a familiar space. What's here, including the pieces of this kind of rock, aren't new to a listener. But somehow, the effect of the band's music is a powerful one, and things pack a surprising punch here even still.
Rhiannon (Ritzy) Bryan, Rhydian Dafydd, and Matt Thomas take energetic post-punk and inject it with emotive power. From the roiling opening title cut here on Into The Blue, and on to the choppier "Chimes", this stuff hits in the solarplexus. What's reassuring is how much energy these players have found in this. Bands like Muse and Wolf Alice mine similar veins at times, but The Joy Formidable really make this material their own. Even a relatively mellow song like "Somewhere New" feels like it might suddenly erupt. What's here throughout Into The Blue is the fire of emotion being held in place, barely contained, and released in bursts.
And perhaps it's the Welsh thing, but I can't help but hear something in "Back to Nothing" that recalls the Manics. And, like that band, The Joy Formidable make big, sweeping tunes that retain intimacy and grace. For all the moments here that make the cuts seem like anthems, the music overall keeps a spark that's positively indie in the best possible sense. Into The Blue is elegantly robust, and full of immediate pleasures that knocked me back on my heels a bit.
Into The Blue is out tomorrow.
More details on The Joy Formidable via the official website.
[Photo: The Joy Formidable Bandcamp]