Photo from Billboard showing (left to right) Ash, Joe, Will, and Mark
Album Review by Grace Kalb
What started as a band composed of two friends and two strangers quickly became a band that would create a new sound for rock. Lovejoy consists of four members: Will Gold (lead vocalist), Joe Goldsmith (lead guitarist), Ash Kabosu (bassist), and Mark Boardman (drummer). This indie-rock band, based in Brighton, England, has released two other EPs, Are You Alright? and Pebble Brainwhich have a very similar sound compared to their newest and most rock-sounding EP, Wake Up & It’s Over, which was released May 12th. The EP delves into the emotions that come with relationships, whether it is platonic, romantic, with one’s own self, or materialistic.
Lovejoy talked about many of their musical influences in an interview with DORK. Musical styles from bands such as Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Bombay Bicycle Club, and metal band Bring Me The Horizon are reflected in their new music by the inclusion of “overdriven guitars”, “shouty British lyrics”, and a double kick drum. All three style choices are noticeable in track 5, ‘Scum’, which I personally think has the best instrumental break of the EP, leading with the strings and culminating with the entrance of drums and vocals. A recent tweet thread posted by the band states that the song is rooted in “one-way adoration. One moment you have the horizon presented to you, the next you are scum, ‘I always knew he’d mess up’”.
One thing that the band did not mess up is the song ‘It’s Golden Hour Somewhere’. This track was added as a surprise to the fans on the day of the EP’s release. The band had teased the song a few times, debating whether or not to keep the song when Ash decided to start the rumor that they did in fact scrap it. He stated in the interview with DORK that “[w]e’ve just made up a bunch of nonsense. And they’ve bought into it. And as I expected, they’re also campaigning to bring it back”.
This surprise made the EP more exciting, along with the release of the song’s music video which is just as indie as the band. What is fascinating about the video is that the band really did not have much influence in its production. The video was directed by Jondra Films, a group of Czech actors who have a Wes Anderson style of videography. The video evokes a feeling of freedom and independence, which seems to oppose the materialistic lyrics of the song; but maybe that is their idea, to show what life is like when one finds joy in living rather than in things.
Wake Up & It’s Over paves the way for the future of rock by mixing together styles of many sub-genres of rock to create something new and independent.
Lovejoy is currently on tour in the United States and will make a stop in Chicago for Lollapalooza on Thursday, August 3rd. Make sure to check them out!
Recommended if You Like: The Strokes, The Wombats, Los Campesinos!
Follow Lovejoy on Instagram and check out their Spotify Below!