The Joy Formidable – Into The Blue – Limited Edition, Gold-Black Vinyl, Bonus 7″, Enci Records, 2021
The Joy Formidable, the Welsh trio with a predilection for delivering stadium-sized riffs with shoegazey vistas and dreamy post-punk riffage, return with their stunning new album, Into The Blue. Spanning 11 tracks across a vinyl LP and 7″, Into the Blue was written by lead singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan and her bandmates in North Wales and later completed at their homes in Utah. “It’s about opening your eyes to beauty and love again,” the band notes. “Making it to the other side. Whilst not conceived as a metaphor for the times we all live in now, it certainly turned out that way.” Taking a cue from bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Bloody Valentine, and Arcade Fire, The Joy Formidable continue to push their expansive sound while always maintaining the hook-driven indie rock foundation they made their name on.