rage BEYOND
Joy Formidable harnesses strong emotions in new release
When they make a Godzilla vs. Transformers movie (you know they will), they need to score the climactic fight scene with the Joy Formidable’s “Y Bluen Eira.” The opening cut from the Welsh trio’s new album “Aaarth” sounds primordial and futuristic, a soundtrack to a druidic ritual and a dance party in Tokyo in 2040. It’s also really fast and really loud. “There are some pretty aggressive moments on this album,” singer-songwriter-guitarist Ritzy Bryan said ahead of the Joy Formidable’s Tuesday stop at the Sinclair. “I’m a big believer in being angry. I think it’s important to feel things. But I’m also a big believer in channeling that anger.” The Joy Formidable have had a rough run of it lately, and you can hear that on “Aaarth.” Over the past few years, Bryan and bassist-songwriter Rhydian Davies ended a romantic relationship, and the band changed managers and parted ways with their record label. Bryan said the band never considered breaking up, but for a while the group couldn’t see its way forward. “We felt like maybe we needed to step away and look after ourselves. … I actually couldn’t write, and I’m always writing,” Bryan said. But the band regrouped in 2017 at Bryan’s new home in the southwest desert of Utah. With a little push from the wilderness — “I feel like the desert is always trying to kill you, with heat in the day and cold in the night,” she said — the band began experimenting with a few ideas and suddenly leapt forward artistically. The band chaos, wild landscape and dark political climate flowed into the work. “We’re thoughtful human beings, and this is an uncertain time,” she said. “To push through the days ahead, we need to heighten our sense of morality and kindness. The news is (expletive) everyday and it’s dividing families. … Of course, what’s going on in the world is going to go into the music we make.” On the record, Matthew Thomas’ drums and Davies’ bass sound like Viking thunder coming out of the night. Over top, Bryan’s anarchic guitar and high vocals mix with lonely piano and the occasional sitar tone. “Aaarth” could be called prog if it wasn’t so wild and loud; it could be called metal if it didn’t dip into so many ancient rhythms. “I suppose we went into the studio a bit frayed, but once we started realizing our ideas had a lot of vibrancy, we tried to channel everything into something really beautiful,” she said. “Even in those aggressive moments, this band has an overriding hopefulness and optimism. The only way you get progress is through optimism.”
The Joy Formidable, with Tancred, at the Sinclair, Tuesday. Tickets: $25-$29; sinclaircambridge.com.