THE QUEST FOR LOVE
On their latest EP, the DIY twee-pop five-piece offers an earnest collection of tender tunes dedicated to the pursuit of love By Chanun Poomsawai
Self-described as “queer/twee pop/ seeking intimacy/don’t call me joey,” Chicago-based indie-pop upstart Joey Nebulous is fronted by bedroom musician Joseph Farago. The band’s debut EP, Joey Loves You Ok?, released early last year, was an exploration of guileless indie-pop ditties and everyday queer narratives with their songs including titles like All Pink and Dumbledore Is Gay).
Clocking in at measly two minutes on average, each and every track felt transient, like a series of musical interludes strung together by Farago’s feeble vocals and the recognisably lo-fi production — a clear result of a music-making software at work. It was an admirable effort despite the monotony it had the tendency to induce.
Their follow-up EP, High On Daddy’s Day, sees the quintet sticking mostly to the “simplistic diary entry” songwriting and the sonic palette of their previous material. What’s also being introduced here, however, is a shift in tempo. Opening track RIP Vine starts off like most songs on Joey Loves You Ok? until the drum beats tighten, adding an extra punch to the proceeding. Meanwhile, Farago mourns the demise of the video looping app, reminiscing about the simple joys of making/going through Vine videos.
The band’s seemingly newfound love for drum beats spreads to Cupid Clutter, which addresses the struggle of finding romance as a queer person. “I wish I could find someone that loves me like I do,” the singer laments over resonant synths, his pitched voice redolent of Whitney’s lead vocalist Julien Ehrlich (the kind of voice you either love it or hate it).
Love Brunch and Everyone’s Getting Laid expand on the loneliness and frustrations that come with a relationship (or lack thereof ). “Who is there in the morning/Who is there when you’re horny/Who is there?” he rues on the synth-driven former while on the latter, a physical concern quickly turns into something much deeper (“Everyone is getting laid/ But me … I deserve to loved”). The anguish here is wonderfully enhanced by the low-key post-punk bassline.
Self-pity, in turn, brings about self-care. “I hate my job/I love myself/I wanna move outside my shell,” Farago relates on House Hunters Intl. The track segues into closer Cher, which contains some of the most heartfelt verse on the EP: “How do I believe in you?/ When you never show me how to … Cher believes in me when I just can’t get better now.”
If Joey Loves You Ok? offers a glimpse into a queer life, High On Daddy’s Day does the same with more emotional depth and substance. The new EP corresponds to “the idea of music being nonfictional and journalistic”, the concept Farago personally felt connected to. What’s more, the instrumentation, while still kept to a bare minimum, has more variety and personality — the drums quicken and rumble, the synths bloom and flourish. This alone is a major improvement from the band’s previous output.