Wolf's Law
After spending years refinining their 2011 debut, the Joy Formidable's sophomore effort arrives without the benefit of multiple rough drafts. And yet Wolf's Law sounds like it's been worked over even more extensively: It's a weirder, proggier record that explores a wide range of textures.
There aren’t many contemporary bands attempting The Joy Formidable’s particular kind of loud, surging guitar pop. The Welsh power trio has a booming, melodic style—reminiscent of the Lush/Ride “dreampop” era, but cleaner, or like a more modernized version of Big Country’s “big music.” It helps too that The Joy…
A cathartic album, a rugged collaboration of the savage landscapes humanity shares, and the innermost feelings of a meditative trance.
It might be on the first listen, it might be after a year, but chances are at some point in listening to The Joy Formidable…
A play on German anatomist/surgeon Julius Wolff's theory that a human or animal's bones will adapt to the stresses imposed upon them, Wolf's Law, the second studio album from the Joy Formidable, finds the Welsh trio building upon its already gargantuan sound with remarkable aplomb.
“Oh wow!” exclaimed Withered Hand when he recently guest reviewed The Joy Formidable’s lead single Cholla in these very pages. “That’s a good riff, no messing about.” Whether the concept of straight-up, heavy and hook-laden guitar riffs seems a little redundant to you, or it’s your reason for getting up in the morning, it’s one of those unguarded and astute assessments that’s hard to shake off.
With its 2011 debut, The Big Roar, The Joy Formidable helped to usher in a new wave of '90s nostalgia, with grungy guitars galore and alterna-happy songwriting that very often seemed to favor general sonic assault over pure song craft.
Wolf’s Law raises the question of what the trio could achieve if only they displayed the ambition to match their obvious talent.
The Joy Formidable's huge sound won them a slot supporting Muse, and indeed they sound bigger than ever on album No 2, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>