Spread Joy

Spread Joy

III

Feel It

***"Are your shoelaces tied? Have you stretched? Good. Spread Joy’s new record will have you up and moving before your brain can even comprehend what the body is doing – fuck you, Renè Descartes! As always, the band’s rhythmic hivemind is more locked-in than your local synchronized swim team.The good news is that III isn’t a pure adrenaline rush. You see the band in lineage to the kinds of post punks who never let being smart as hell keep them from having a good time. The B52s and Talking Heads and Suburban Lawns of the world knew that any highbrow lyricism would wash down better with hefty doses of killer melodies and Spread Joy bears this lineage well.As always, it’s a full-bodymind workout with Spread Joy: don’t say you weren’t warned."—Annie Howard

Spread Joy

II

Feel It

***Spread Joy may as well be their own musical genre. An immediate flavor and mercurial 'Qu'est-ce que c'est?' begin their second album with the 45 second opener "Ow". Coincidentally, the album spins at 45, just like Spread Joy's self-titled 2021 debut. The Chicago group came out of nowhere, mid-pandemic, with a stunning ten track LP on Feel It. Returning to the warm analog environment at Jamdek Recording Co., Spread Joy have truly honed their craft across these 17 minutes and 17 seconds. This is the kind of punk-forward music that is made to be heard and felt, far from the distorted mirror of the web. A group living free, moving at their own speed, and making music that will be remembered - that's Spread Joy, folks!

Spread Joy

Spread Joy

Feel It

***BACK IN STOCK - NEW WHITE VINYL PRESSING!!! There are times when you discover a debut release, give it a few honest plays, and simply look forward to what's next. Then again, there's the rare occasion when an album flat out smacks you in the face with sheer brilliance, demanding repeat listens. Such is the case with the self titled debut from Spread Joy. The Chicago group, consisting of some familiar faces from Negative Scanner and Human Beat, were due to play their first show in March 2020. While that moment has been postponed indefinitely, Spread Joy have quietly crafted a future classic. These ten tracks are a remarkably simple and near perfect distillation of the 'Pink Flag'-era Wire sound - giving way to frenzied No Wave dashes while executed with a speed/precision that approaches hardcore. Oh, and there's no denying that the mix is anchored by the vocal prowess & persona of Briana Hernandez, in a performance evoking visions of greats like Su Tissue and Lizzy Mercier Descloux. Ten tracks in fourteen glorious minutes - as if Spread Joy have synthesized the best moments of the last 40-odd years of punk into one timeless pairing of tracks. If ya think it's too short, you're wrong. Just flip the record over and let the Spread Joy sink in.