The Joy Hotel release debut album Ceremony out now via SO Recordings
The Joy Hotel | Photo credit: Rosie Sco
Praise for The Joy Hotel's debut album Ceremony
"This album is retro to the bone, taking a leaf out of the books of Phil Spector and Paul McCartney to provide each of its outstanding tracks with that crisp, timeless sheen" - The Skinny ★★★★★
"It’s superb throughout" -The Scottish Daily Express ★★★★★
"A mindblowing odyssey that screams pure genius" - Far Out ★★★★½
"diverse suite of songs recorded live to tape and delivered with verve and assurance." - The Scotsman ★★★★
"The Joy Hotel are almost folk/Americana's answer to the Wu Tang Clan - a collection of artists with individual voices and techniques with a whole bigger than their considerable individual talents." - NARC ★★★★
"an irresistible blend of indie/alternative, folk, blues and so much more" - Clash
Glasgow septet The Joy Hotel today release their debut album Ceremony via SO Recordings, and share a video for the record's opening track 'I Decline'. Alongside this, the band are also unveiling their making-of album documentary Come The Ringing Bell.
Hear Ceremony in full here.
As The Joy Hotel prepared to release their debut album Ceremony, a number of teaser singles have been drawing in fans old and new. Surging lead single 'Jeremiah' immediately caught the attention of media including Clash, DIY, Dork, The Line of Best Fit, So Young, Under The Radar and more. The intimate balladry of 'Black Balloon' soon followed, with the buoyant electricity of 'Old Man's Eyes' not far behind. As Ceremony sees its release the band are sharing a video for 'I Decline', of which lead singer Emme Woods comments: "We shot the video for I Decline with basically no budget in our own rehearsal space in Glasgow. We wanted it to resemble an MTV style music video that had been uncovered from some old discarded VHS tape. The reference points were the videos for Men’s Needs by the Cribs, Mamma Mia by ABBA and Fanny covering Hey Bulldog in 1971. We really enjoy the grubby, heavily stylised aesthetic of these old format videos and it felt really right for the song."
Watch the video for 'I Decline' below.
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. The band today shares their making-of album documentary, Come The Ringing Bell. Lead singer Emme Woods continues:
"The documentary is something we put together ourselves in the months following the recording of the album. Rosie Sco had filmed about seventy hours of footage and we worked it down to a fifty one minute depiction the process behind each song, capturing the initial live performance and then the work we did late in to the night on overdubs and finding what made each song special. We only spent ten days recording at Rockfield and the film gives you a sense of how quickly we were working to capture takes that felt powerful and then committing them to a master tape. We called the film Come The Ringing Bell which is a line from our third single Old Man’s Eyes, it’s about capturing the moment while you have it. We spent around nine months putting it all together and were glad people can finally see how the album came together and what a labour of love it was."
Watch the documentary on YouTube below.
The Joy Hotel instore live dates
Monday 22nd July - Glasgow Assai - Tickets here
Tuesday 23rd July - Edinburgh Assai - Tickets here
Thursday 25th July - London, Dash The Henge - Tickets here
The Joy Hotel 2024 live dates
03 August - SWG3, Glasgow, UK (supporting Belle and Sebastian)
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 - Ceremony tracklisting
1. I Decline
2. Forever Tender Blue
3. First Joy
4. Jeremiah
5. Black Balloon
6. Rapid Eye Movement
7. Old Man's Eyes
8. While We're Young
9. No Use
10. Twenty Three (A Comedy) - Part 1
11. Twenty Three (A Comedy) - Part 2
12. Killing Time
13. Small Mercy
