The Joy Formidable – Hitch

With 'Hitch', The Joy Formidable has reached for more....
The Joy Formidable : Hitch
8.0 Caroline
2016 

The Joy Formidable : HitchLive, The Joy Formidable have successfully married their epic, driving sound with energetic, engaging, and hilarious performances. On record, that epic drive is still very much there on 2013’s Wolf’s Law (QRO review) and 2011’s The Big Roar (QRO review), but did somewhat threaten to repeat itself. With Hitch, the band has reached for more.

Not that the epic drive ain’t still there. Pressing opener “A Second in White” starts Hitch, and is followed by the excellent expanding push “Radio of Lips”. “It’s Started” is bolder, while “Blowing Fire” bigger. But the record also has the starker loss of “Liana”, glowing loss to “The Brook” (a piece the band has done acoustic from amid the crowd at live shows – QRO photos), stripped haunt “Underneath the Petal”, and closer “Don’t Let Me Know” is an acoustic elegy that explodes midway through.

Hitch is a step outside of The Joy Formidable’s comfort zone, and isn’t able to completely live up to its ambition, but it’s a step forward, upward, and onward.

Categories
Album Reviews
Album of the Week