Photo courtesy Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy
Ever since Mt. Joy made a big splash in the music world with “Silver Lining,” the single from the band’s 2018 self-titled debut album that became a No. 1 hit at adult alternative radio, the band has been widely labeled as a folk-rock act and frequently compared to the Lumineers.
Mt. Joy singer/guitarist Matt Quinn will even allow that “Silver Lining” sounded a little like the Lumineers, with its strummy folk-ish verses and stacked harmonies in the chorus. And the fact that Mt. Joy opened for the Lumineers on that group’s early 2020 arena tour probably reinforced the connection.
But Quinn is ready to see Mt. Joy’s music viewed through something much broader than a folk-rock/Lumineers lens. “I get where it came from and everything, but I think it’s a bit lazy,” Quinn said. “Our big hit song sort of, I can see where the Lumineers thing comes in. But it didn’t even really represent the (first) record, I think, that well. If you go back and listen to the first record, the other songs were pretty different. So I don’t know if our whole goal is to avoid comparisons, but it is nice to start to feel like we’re coming into our own and the music we’re making fits the music we want to be making.”
The band’s third album, Orange Blood, could go a long way in changing perceptions about Mt. Joy’s music. There is still a folk element to songs such as “Roly Poly,” “Don’t It Feel Good” and the title track, but they come with some gauzy atmospherics, synthetic beats and treated guitar tones that push the songs outside of the folk realm. Elsewhere Mt. Joy get even more adventurous with the sonics. “Johnson Song” has a distorted lead guitar that gives the tune a freaky edge. “Lemon Tree” takes on a Beatles-esque psychedelic pop experience when it kicks into a pair of instrumental segments full of fuzzed up tones. “Evergreen,” meanwhile, is a catchy, nervy rocker with shimmery guitars and a driving beat. The sonic creativity generally enhances the songs, but what still stands out most is the ability of Quinn and his bandmates to craft striking and inviting melodies.
