Review | The Joy Formidable – Into The Blue

Label: Hassle Records

It’s only been two years since The Joy Formidable released an album but it feels like a lifetime. Where 2019’s ‘AARTH’ felt a little more experimental and measured, their latest album ‘Into The Blue’ is a full on mortar assault of an album. Starting gently enough with title track ‘Into The Blue’, The Joy Formidable are simply luring you in before the huge crash of the chorus hits you. With a beautiful riff picked over the top of piledriver drums and a beautifully thick guitar sound, The Joy Formidable seem able to create songs that are equal parts heavy and beautiful.

The air raid siren like strike of ‘Sevier’ sees the band go for full on attack and I can only imagine it’s the type of song that you’d feel thumping in your chest when played live.

This assault carries on throughout ‘Into The Blue’ but never at the detriment of the songs. With softly sung vocals and a lead guitar that plucks beautiful guitar lines over the top of songs such as ‘Farrago’, ‘Gotta Feed My Dog’ and the aforementioned ‘Into The Blue’, it beautifully balanced out the pounding drums and a guitar with the distortion set to heavy.

It’s hard to single out songs on ‘Into The Blue’ such is the quality of the album. Each song is quite uniquely The Joy Formidable but it never feels repetitive and at album number seven it feels like they are showing no signs of slowing down.