Welsh rock trio The Joy Formidable are set to release their debut album, The Big Roar, March 15th on Canvasback/Atlantic Records. The band spent much of 2009 touring, in support of Editors, Temper Trap, and Passion Pit. After self-releasing their A Balloon Called Moaning EP at home last February, The Joy Formidable quickly became critical darlings, receiving rave reviews from The Guardian, NME, The London Times, Spin and Pitchfork, as well as praise from Garbage’s Shirley Manson.
In late April, The Joy Formidable teamed with a new label started by Passion Pit’s Ayad Al Adhamy, Black Bell Records, to release A Balloon Called Moaning in the U.S. The New York Times‘ Jon Pareles praised the EP’s “cryptic lyrics that glint with urgency,” and said that “the music regenerates the turbulent haze of 1990s rock, but it’s less tormented and more anthemic, confident of the pop structures at its core.”
When touring came to an end, the band quickly got to work on crafting new material for The Big Roar. Lead Singer Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd, and drummer Matthew Thomas holed up in their London flat, recording ideas as they came along, ultimately creating a remarkable collection of modern rock songs that explore what Bryan describes as “the possibility of victory in a hopeless situation.”
Lead single “I Don’t Want To See You Like This” is available now. Full tracklisting below:
Modern Mystery 