Come with us now on a journey through time and space – The Joy Formidable are searching for that new sound on ‘Dance of the Lotus’, and they’ve shared a psychedelic new video to accompany the track.
The squalling rocker is the first taste of the band’s fourth studio album, and although there’s no word on a release date, tour dates are already pencilled in for the autumn. Check out the new track, and its accompanying peyote trip animation, in the player below.
Over on Consequence of Sound Ritzy Bryan has given hints about the new collection. Having decamped to the breathtaking vistas of Utah, the Welsh trio have again drawn inspiration from nature for the upcoming 10-track effort, which Bryan describes as a “a colourful, mystical collage”.
TJF are teasing their most experimental album yet with Bryan commenting (per CoS) “Those multi-coloured sunsets and the primeval elements of nature in the Southwest — it’s emboldened our imaginations in the songwriting and the production.”
Talking about ‘Dance of the Lotus’ Bryan said it was written to represent a “nighttime walk in the desert when you’re trying to escape from yourself and the chaos you’ve created.” That sense of scale is apparent in the music, as powerful drums tumble through piercing stabs of guitar, with Bryan’s deceptively potent vocals slinking over the top.
The accompanying animation is a dizzying journey through a surreal landscape, marrying Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd’s love of nature and art.
It also reminds us of when they go into the desert searching for the new sound in Mighty Boosh. It remains to be seen if Bryan, Dafydd and drummer Matt Thomas have acquired doors in their heads however.
The Joy Formidable are set to play London’s Meltdown Festival, curated by the Cure’s Robert Smith, this July. They’ll be back for Reading & Leeds at the end of the summer, with a show at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on 23rd August.