Having supported the likes of Pinegrove, Vant and Show Me The Body; Dublin-based angst provocateurs Oh Joy burst onto the scene with their new single ‘So Swell’. Combining pop-fuelled hooks and powerfully dynamic noise-rock soundscapes, it is a track smattered with the wry melancholia of grunge, and the sensitive and poignant lyrical content of artists such as Elliot Smith.
‘So Swell’ can be characterised by its sense of physicality. Ollie Moyles’ delicate vocal melodies and gritty lo-fi guitar lumber into life with a sense of fatigue akin to the world-weary and the early-risers. Indeed, the gentle sway of Alex Cummins’ drums alongside the sense of lethargy given off by lines such as: “I wonder what all the ambitious people are doing. Can we just stay here doing fucking nothing?” allows for a piece of music which manages to paint a picture of an individual who’s sick to death of the daily grind, the monotony of everyday life; and who simply wants to be able to enjoy their time on this planet, feel love and be happy.
What makes this track so special however, is the sense of anger which permeates those fuzz-laden choruses. It is during these that we hear a simmering internal conflict bubble above the surface, resulting in a visceral and dynamic potency which leaves the heart pounding and the ears gagging for a replay.
‘So Swell’ joins ‘Apple’ as Oh Joy’s new double AA-side single, the band will celebrate the release with a launch gig on 1st November upstairs at Whelans. Tickets are available here.
