Better Joy - At Dusk EP
Release Date: 31st October
Manchester's Better Joy is on a busy old run of live dates including her own headline shows along with support slots with Bastille and Amy Macdonald so it makes great sense that she's dropping her new EP to coincide with the tour. 'As Dusk' is a six track collection that opens with 'This Part Of Town' getting us off to a pulsating start like a ride through the centre of Manchester on an electric bike of an afternoon all full of promise and potential. 'Steamroller', by contrast, is more of a mellow number with snaking guitars and a louche beat that makes this the hipster's choice for a slow dance.
Taking us to the end of the first half of this EP is 'Plugged In', a former single that shows off the more tender and vulnerable side of Better Joy with the acoustic notes ringing out into the night sky in search of some kind of indie Batman. On 'I'm There', we get a raw, pumping track tinged with regret and sadness that will resonate with anyone coming to the end of any stage of life and staring into the abyss of the future with uncertainty. The 90s energy of 'Big Thief' has me reaching for my Belly records such is the brilliant combination of light vocals and bouncing, jangling indie guitars. The EP comes to a head, fittingly, on 'So Long' which is perhaps the most introspective track on the album but still, somehow, manages to exude a sense of hope and the chance for things to get better. Better Joy is a true talent, working hard at her music and building a following the old fashioned way - is there anything better than that?
Live Dates:
Friday 24th October - Leeds Beckett University, Leeds
Saturday 25th October - Newcastle University, Newcastle
Sunday 26th October - Arts Club, Liverpool
Friday 14th November - AO Arena, Manchester w/Bastille
Saturday 15th November - Coventry (Loud in Libraries)
Sunday 16th November - Blackpool (Loud in Libraries)
Wednesday 19th November - Dust, Brighton
Thursday 20th November - Eventim Apollo, London w/Amy Macdonald
Friday 21st November - The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton w/Amy Macdonald
Saturday 22nd November - City Hall, Sheffield [SOLD OUT] w/Amy Macdonald
Monday 24th November - O2 City Hall, Newcastle [SOLD OUT] w/Amy Macdonald
Tuesday 25th November - Forum, Tunbridge Wells w/Amy Macdonald
Wednesday 26th November - Guildhall, Portsmouth w/Amy Macdonald
Thursday 27th November - Arena, Swansea w/Amy Macdonald
Friday 27th November - Forum, Bath [SOLD OUT] w/Amy Macdonald
Sunday 30th November - Olympia, Dublin [SOLD OUT] w/Amy Macdonald
Monday 1st December - Telegraph, Belfast w/Amy Macdonald
Wednesday 3rd December - Corn Exchange, Cambridge w/Amy Macdonald
Thursday 4th December - Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham w/Amy Macdonald
Friday 5th December - O2 Apollo, Manchester w/Amy Macdonald
Friday 12th December - Hydro Arena, Glasgow [SOLD OUT] w/Amy Macdonald
