The Joy Hotel announce debut album Ceremony and share new single 'Jeremiah'
The Joy Hotel | Photo credit: Rosie Sco
Glasgow septet The Joy Hotel are today announcing their debut album Ceremony with the release of its lead single, the surging and rapturous 'Jeremiah'. It’s a song that grapples with the idea of approaching unknowns, and how conflicting attitudes illicit different responses to the same situation. More directly, it’s about staring death in the face and choosing how to come to terms with it.
Vocalist Emme Woods says about the song: "Jeremiah is a song for the end of the world from two opposing perspectives; one side welcoming the end, believing God will be there to meet them and judge them mercifully, the other in a state of existential anxiety as the world spirals towards collapse."
Newly signed to SO Recordings and with a debut album proper in hand, The Joy Hotel have become a word-of-mouth success story in the Scottish DIY scene, and have since taken their live show across the UK and Europe, playing festivals including Hidden Door, Doune the Rabbit Hole, Connect, TRNSMT, Twisterella, Latitude, Sound City and The Great Escape.
The band spent eleven days at Rockfield, the legendary studio in Monmouth, Wales, recording live-to-tape. When they left, they had a sound. It is often contradictory, in that it combines the songwriting sensibilities of pop and country with arrangements reminiscent of the psychedelic scene of the 60s, six-part vocal harmonies with elements of noise rock, beautiful balladry with a sense of humour, and a cinematic quality. The result of those eleven days is debut album Ceremony, a record that searches for the profound in the seemingly routine, and reaches out with arms wide open to wring celebration out of each moment.
Ceremony will be accompanied by a short film documenting the creation of the album called ‘Come The Ringing Bell’.
Continuing about the album, vocalist Luke Boyce says: “Ceremony is twelve songs strung together to form one continuous piece of music. In our minds it’s the soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist. We spent two weeks at Rockfield Studios in Wales tracking it live to tape and what emerged was, in our opinion, a bold and ambitious piece of work that we’re proud to present as our first offering. It explores themes of hope, regret, love and the passing of time. We called it Ceremony because we wanted to encapsulate the pursuit of meaning in daily rituals and the celebration of being alive.”
Pre-order debut album Ceremony here
Listen to 'Jeremiah' on streaming services here and watch the video below.
The Joy Hotel are:
Emme Woods - Vocals, guitar, keys + songwriter
Luke Boyce - Vocals, guitar, keys + songwriter
Juan Laforet - Keys, guitar + vocals
Jack Boyce - Drums
Jack Borrill - Bass + vocals
Jenny Clifford - Guitar + vocals
Scott Flanagan - Acoustic guitar + vocals
THE JOY HOTEL 2024 LIVE DATES
31 May - Fynefest, Argyll, UK
06 July - Kelburn Garden Party, Kilmarnock, UK
03 August - SWG3, Glasgow, UK (supporting Belle and Sebastian)
The Joy Hotel - Ceremony tracklisting
1. Jeremiah
2. Black Balloon
3. Rapid Eye Movement
4. Old Man's Eyes
5. While You're Young
6. No Use
7. Twenty Three (A Comedy)
8. Killing Time
9. Small Mercy
10. I Decline
11. Forever Tender Blue
12. First Joy
