No Joy – Nothing Will Hurt – Joyful Noise Recordings

I was lucky enough to encounter No Joy open for Quicksand’s Interiors LP tour in 2017.  They have the makings of a noisy and heavy shoegaze band on their Creep EP. Latest song(s) ‘Nothing Will Hurt’ has funky bass and synthetic dancy drums you might hear from one of those old Roland drum machines or something along the lines of Depeche Mode, New Order,  Erasure.

Layered over the synth pop groove are celestial, female vocals. I’ve heard them (on Creep EP) use pummeling heaviness that was in My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything or Doom metal territory. This track it’s a rhythmic and vocal experience that feels uplifting rather than a heavy riff that crushes. Nothing Will Hurt is an invitation to bask in a relaxed, chic soundscape that offers three minutes of respite from the current state of the world.

Check out some of No Joy’s current and previous songs at this fine site

https://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/collections/no-joy

Birthmark is nice travel companion to Nothing Will Hurt as far as soothing sounds. Birthmark goes into broken rhythms ; maybe syncopation? The beats could even feel a bit Latin inspired. The guitars and synth bass take back seat Birthmark’s multi tracked vocals and beats take the driver’s seat.  I’ve been digging on some synth and disco as of late. I have also been stuck in the 90’s when it comes to dream pop. Therefore No Joy is a welcome change. This single, their back catalog (More Faithful, and much of what they released) gives me hope for music.