Band: No Joy
Album: Ghost Blonde
No Joy is lo-fi/shoegaze band based out of Montreal, relatively new to the scene but you wouldn’t think so upon hearing Ghost Blonde. The duo that makes up the core of this sonic guitar-fuelled sound is Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd and together they really set themselves apart. Their debut full-length is impressive, loud and noisy, while still accessible. The vocals are often barely heard and somewhat ethereal, hidden behind layers of fuzzy distortion and feedback, but it’s the riffage that really engages the listener.
From the album’s opening song, “Mediumship,” it is evident that No Joy aims to woo you with their guitar prowess. While it’s a heavier, gloomier and somewhat atmospheric record overall, No Joy still bring more rockin’ songs, perhaps best exemplified with “Still.” There are songs to be lazy to (“Pacific Pride”, “Indigo Child”), but there are energetic, more in-your-face songs as well (“You Girls Smoke Cigarettes?”, “Hawaii”). Their album closer and title track, six and half minutes long, capitalizes on their hazy and grimy sound. They cover the spectrum, making Ghost Blonde an album that might stand the test of this shoegaze revival.
No Joy received a lot of praise post-CMJ Music Marathon. I’m looking forward to catching this band live and you should be too. They’ll be here with Best Coast and Wavves in February, a fitting fill if you ask me.
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