If you are looking for a record that’s cinematic, edgy, wild, lavish, original, oozing with dark charm, pathos, warmth and bursts of frenetic energy then look no further than Joyeria‘s FIM. The full spectrum of the human condition seems to be living and breathing within the sonic walls of FIM’s universe. As James Joyce said, “in the particular lies the universal,” so despite the apparent off-beat nature of the record, there is something charmingly relatable about witty existential phrases like,” You cannot tap along to silence you know” and “I take everything personally, especially the weather.” Lines like this could easily come from an Oscar Wilde play, but in the FIM EP these phrases are all accompanied by powerful musical narratives, blending lyrics with sonic moments of tension and release. FIM is dark and refreshingly funny, classy, whip-smart and woven with raw endearing humility, reminiscent of Father John Misty.
From Canada, via London, his stage name Joyeria seems like an ironic take on his world-weary, charismatic lounge lizard persona. Even name of the EP, FIM (F*ck I Missed ) seems to be a reflection on the passing of time and perhaps missed opportunities in a ‘career marked in invisible ink’ ‘shape shifting’ and a backstory purposely ‘built with gaps in the narrative,’ which only makes this EP even more intriguing. FIM firmly sees, Joyeria making his mark with indelible ink, making an authentic impression on the world with a Sharpie. FIM could very well be the record that makes Joyeria as celebrated as his musical heroes.
FIM is what happens after a songwriter has worked hard for a long time in the dark, looking for lighting in a bottle- and finds it. It is a collection of songs about depression, society and a celebration of song writing in a world that looks a lot less encouraging than when Joyeria fell in love with indie bands of the late 90’s. This might be why it has that freshness of a gem from an older sibling’s record collection, but with 21st Century verve.
Dan Carey’s exuberant production recaptures and reinvigorates the essential weirdness of what united the early phases of fellow off-beat masters; a buoyant taste for the strange. It’s the sound of two collaborators working fast, wild and free with years of experience under their belts and exacting standards.
It would be easy for an artist of Joyeria’s musical talent and experience a to produce a safe cookie-cutter, formulaic guaranteed ‘hit’, however, with this record, it is clear that he has not taken the safe option at all, and has poured all his energy and talent into creating something truly original – an authentic work of art, like the one painted in the avant-garde 9 to 5 video where chugging synthesized back beats echo the daily grind, with spikey percussive inevitability climaxing with heavy experimental grungy riffs, to celebrate the forced euphoria of the weekend.
Each track seems to layer the sound like brushstrokes in slanting, creative directions like an abstract painting, in the most satisfying and surprisingly cohesive way, with the voice and music reflecting the varying of peaks and troughs of tension and release
These contemporary tracks are delivered with a sense of nostalgia, layered on lush, grungy cinematic soundscapes in tracks like ‘Wild Joy’, juxtaposed with free jazz and blues in ‘Death.’ 80s synthesized beats can be found in ‘9 to 5‘ while classical piano and spoken word are demonstrated in ‘Decisions.’ The music itself has its own narrative which pulls tautly against the lyrics in tracks like ‘Wild Joy‘, particularly with the violin shredding and emphasising the angst. At times, it feels like the voice could break free of its vessel and it often does in a cathartic burst.
The voice goes from baritone depth with boisterous bass notes, raw rhythms and songs hinting at honest bluesy tones to a soaring screaming frenzy, all jigsawed together with precision to create the desired effect. The lyrics are all delivered with dry wit and painstaking honesty, bursting into experimental breakouts to emphasize the mood.
The first track , ‘Wild Joy’ is a witty, bluesy, ironic take on modern existence, saying. “All the best dads are secret smokers, caught in the trappings of a lack of success.” It’s darkly beautiful, full of pathos, with even the backing singers sounding slightly depressed and off kilter, which I find quite endearing. Joyeria said, “If Wild Joy is not an ode to the world’s greatest dad or the working stiff — it’s the song of a man who has remembered what to do with memories and what can be recaptured and re-enacted, perpetually in music.” The musical riffs are upbeat yet bluesy creating a sense of tension between the lyrics and the music, with kitchen sink observations about the car getting him to work on time and existential reflections like “There won’t be a dry eye in the house when we realize we’re all dying.” You can imagine this sound tracking an indie movie. With multi- textured Americana laced riffs, keys and wailing strings. The FIM EP never pretends to be positive and uplifting but it’s hard to shake the ecstatic thrill of Joyeria declaring: “There’s a wild joy I remember.” It is ultimately an authentically beautiful reflection of human spark and fragility.
Second track, ‘Death’ has jazzy clarinet embroidering a bluesy riff. It has Charlie Brown vibes speaking of cowboys looking at horizons and witty observations like, ‘I’ve never seen a dog eat a dog’ and ‘I’ve never seen a rat run a race’ with the energy changing as the track progresses, saying ‘It’s a comical dynasty’ and a ‘performance art piece, ‘before breaking out into a cathartic frenzy which could be a performance art piece in itself. Again, it is a beautifully original reflection on existence and mental health with poetic lines like. “By the time the moon hears the howls the wolf will have lost all its teeth” These are all tracks that demand to be listened to on a loop, because every time you listen you hear something different.
‘Colour Film‘ is a slacker rock triumph, opening with a soaring, cathartic scream at the beginning over a blistering grungy 90s riff. Joyeria said it is ” is about the mindless daily routine of being alive, what David Foster Wallace called ‘water.’ I apparently have the ability to choose how I feel or think as I participate in being alive just as I can choose how I feel and think when I explain songs which is to say at times, very uneasy. But this song is also about worry beads, American G.I.’s running fighter pilot drills over Mediterranean islands and ice creams. Like I said, I’m in a colour film, in fact we might all be.” Lyrics like,” Stuck in a low tempo rhythm with nothing on my radar screen” is a beautiful reflection of a melancholic state of mind, juxtaposed with the frenzy of celebrating for no reason. It’s a stunningly witty expression of life’s absurdities. The full spectrum of emotions seems to be echoed here, both musically and lyrically.
In ‘Performance Review it’s almost as if Joyeria has taken on a new persona of someone trapped in a job they don’t want, with a darker voice saying, “We need to talk of your performance, that attitude won’t cut it here….you”re out of tune and it’s the major leagues.” The voice seems distant filled with fatigue looking at the world from a distance, laced with low fi synthesizers and swirling guitars and the chromatic riffs reflecting the fatigue in the lyrics.
I laughed out loud at the track ‘Decisions‘- I loved its elegant absurdity. It’s a proper Avante-guarde piece of performance art- a spoken word conversation, with cinematic classical piano, that could soundtrack a Shakespearian tragedy or silent movie, but instead, the tragedy is something far more contemporary and witty. “Life is complicated and those complications can be made worse by the decisions we make.” Watch here to find out what the decision is:
The final track, ‘9 to 5’ overlays spikey 80s style synthesized riffs that could happily exist in the train scene of Tom Cruise’s Risky Business before crashing into a euphoric celebration of the weekend with grunge laden heavy riffs and echolalic chants of “It’s the weekend time.” Both the lyrics and soundscape illustrate that chugging inevitability of 9-5 work, whilst the robotic voices at the end could illustrate how traditional 9-5 jobs can turn humans into robots. There is a sense of restlessness and urgency in witty lines like “A Riot can stimulate the local economy.” It is a stunning piece of performance art.
FIM is an extraordinary EP-a true original work of art with every spectrum of the human condition living and breathing within its sonic walls. It pushes the sonic boundaries with class and musical prowess and refuses to be pigeonholed. It traverses musical genres seamlessly, taking you on a musical journey blending unorthodox genres that that shouldn’t work together, but absolutely do, filling the listener with pathos and charm, enabling us to laugh at life’s absurdities. It will take you on journey into the dark and light recesses of the soul, giving that soaring cathartic release of recognition. So, if you are looking for record that’s cinematic, edgy, wild, lavish, original, oozing with dark charm, pathos, warmth and bursts of frenetic energy then look no further than Joyeria‘s FIM.
Joyeria’s FIM (Fuck I Missed) is out on Speedy Wunderground on 14th October (digital) and 2nd December on vinyl Order the EP here: You won’t regret it!
Order EP
https://ffm.to/joyeria_fim
Joyeria Live:
November
4- Mutations Festival, Brighton
December
1 -The Windmill Brixton, London
