The Joy Formidable - AAARTH

Welsh trio The Joy Formidable have certainly cooked up something intriguing with new album ‘AAARTH’. Opener ‘Y Bluen Eira’ (which roughly translates to ‘The Snowflake’ in English) sees a spoken word Welsh monologue brought to life over a hulking metal riff in an impressive fashion. The album winds and weaves its way through a collection of songs which suggest that the trio have found their form again with single ‘The Wrong Side’ walking and breathing into the band’s best work.

‘Cicada (Land On Your Back)’ is an interesting track underpinned by a picked acoustic guitar at odds with the song’s otherwise heavy groove to great effect while ‘Dance of the Lotus’ is ethereal in its psychedelic roots. However where ‘AAARTH’ really shines is the more tender moments revealed on ‘All in All’, ‘Absence’, and ‘You Can’t Give Me’ with the latter’s soaring chorus the key to unlocking the emotional core of the entire record.

Josh Williams