Joywave – How Do You Feel Now? ★★★★★

How Do You Feel Now? kicks off with a brilliantly sassy fuzzed up riff, backed by an appropriately punchy beat on opening track Somebody New. A very strong start and an encouraging welcome. My first thought? If Kasabian had developed the gritty electronic influences they broke out with rather than turn in to just another generic indie/Brit-pop band then maybe they could have sounded as good as this. Where that band were afraid to tread though, Joywave gladly venture out barefoot to dance on the graves of other’s missed chances.

You know what, it’s not a word I use to describe music often, but I’ll say it again. This is sassy as hell! How Do You Feel Now? oozes confidence, turning what are quite often pretty simple ideas on the surface in to mighty pop-rock anthems.

Parade is another perfect example of this sass, this attitude….if music could smile, Joywave would be sporting a knowing smirk and would more than likely wink at you. Possibly followed by a gentle caress of the leg. You would be powerless to resist.

It’s great to see a band with this level of accessibility doing something a little different. It may not be totally new ground, but it’s certainly a lot more exciting and different to the samey generic chart hunters clogging up the radio, while still being mainstream enough to ensure they don’t lose out on those listeners. Edgy pop-rock. Rocky synth-pop. Grunge pop? Whatever this is, it’s awesome!

★★★★★

FYI: This review was written by me for www.bourne2goout.co.uk. Head over there for more news, reviews and interviews!