IF you’ve not heard The Joy Hotel before now, then now is the time to get on board.
The Scottish seven-piece are no strangers to the local live circuit, having sold out numerous shows based on word of mouth alone. Plus, they’re already confirmed for various festivals this summer including Road to Great Escape, two shows at The Great Escape, TRSNMT and some in Europe too – not a bad start for a band without any songs out.
It all started with Emme Woods and Luke Boyce who bonded over a shared love of vintage pop, vocal groups and layered arrangements. The duo soon formed a solid songwriting partnership, merging their shared influences into something entirely of their own devising – before, of course, bringing in five other members to their musical alchemy.
Since then, they’ve built quite the reputation on live shows alone. And their musical blend is instantly gratifying – it’s one rooted in classic songwriting, raw, organic instrumentation and timeless melodies of sixties and eventies pop. With the founders sharing vocal duties, they’re accompanied by keyboards, resonant semi-acoustic guitars and dynamic rhythms to create a sound described as dreamy pop, psych rock and alt-country.
It all comes together so seamlessly on the brilliant ‘Jeremiah’ – a track that arrives with an electric kind of spontaneity; the kind that must have burst out in their initial rehearsals in a tenement flat in Glasgow’s East End. The results are soulful, gritty, cinematic and more.
It’s “is a lament for the end of the world from two opposing perspectives; one of which welcomes the chaos, the other helpless in the face of it.” says singer and co-writer Luke Boyce.
His writing partner and foil at the top of The Joy Hotel is Emme Woods, who says “Jeremiah was actually one of the last tracks we finished for the album. it didn’t quite seem like a race to the finish line, more of a completion of a body of work. these things sometimes come unexpectedly, a very pleasant surprise.”
With a string of live shows to come over the coming months as well as more releases, the band will unveil their debut album ‘Ceremony’ in Autumn 2023.
Check out the video below.
