Joyer

"Nighttime changes people. Self-destructive behaviors are more tempting without the judgment of the daytime glow. But night also provides a peaceful, meditative setting for creativity to run wild–a haven to escape one’s day-to-day malaise. Joyer, the Brooklyn-and-Boston-based band of multi-instrumentalist brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan, are fascinated by these after-dark hours. Their new album, Night Songs, is an instantly satisfying amalgam of swirling shoegaze guitars and memorable melodies–all while the duo examines the allure of night and its ability to shapeshift from a mirror for our innermost demons to a shield from the demands of daily drudgery.

Joyer formed in New Jersey in 2017, and after releasing two self-recorded demo collections, they released their first studio album, Sun Into Flies, in 2020, followed by Perfect Gray in 2021. Night Songs marks a departure from their hushed slowcore beginnings and displays a more expansive sound—from blowtorched guitars and overtly hooky vocal cadences, to melancholy synths and pastoral lap steel. Their foray into twistier, heavier sonics coincides with the darker nature of nighttime activities, while the more hi-fi, pop-forward vocal direction makes for a fitting contrast, just like the stark clarity that pitch-black skies provide.

Night Songs was written when Joyer embarked on their first lengthy tours, which meant a lot of driving, particularly under calming New England skies, as well as reflection on the surreal, nocturnal lives of touring musicians. As a result, the record is peppered with naturalistic, ephemeral imagery and has a prevailing emotional bittersweetness. There’s a cinematic quality to the band’s music, perhaps a side effect of both Nick and Shane being graduates from film school. “There’s definitely a visual aspect to our music,” says Nick. “Even a lot of lyrics are sort of focused on creating images, almost like painting a picture.” These visions of singing whippoorwills and twirling weather vanes are couched next to reckless intrusive thoughts and dubious barroom dialogue. Amidst their abstract, artfully vague lyrics are feelings of restlessness, insecurity, joy and connection—all melting into one strange witching-hour fever dream. “As we were writing we noticed a sort of unconscious throughline of different activities and behaviors that occur at night,” Shane says. “Night is when more destructive or indulgent behavior seems to come out–the behavior that sometimes you’re not proud of.”

Night Songs is a time capsule of two young lives pulled in many directions and shrouded under the cover of darkness. It’s an invitation to savor new experiences and the people around you and suck in the brisk nighttime air—you never know what treasures and temptations are lurking in its midst." - Lizzie Manno