We’re living at a time when mental escapism is essential to making it through the day. And few bands over the past decade or so have propelled our personal swandive deep into our own heads quite like The Joy Formidable. This past Friday (March 26), the Welsh alt-rock trio dropped a rumbling new track called “Into The Blue,” their first new music in nearly three years.
“’Into The Blue’ is about surrendering to love and magic,” says lead singer and guitarist Ritzy Bryan. “Having the courage to enjoy a new journey and the mystery and excitement of something unexpected. It’s about opening your eyes to beauty and love again. Making it to the other side. Whilst not conceived as a metaphor for the times we all live in now, it certainly turned out that way.”
The track has a warm comfort to it, exuding a classic Joy Formidable vibe while also showcasing some new ideas and approaches. It’s almost as intriguing by what the song doesn’t do as what it does over its five confident minutes. “Into The Blue” was written by the band in North Wales, and then completed at their residences in Utah; it arrived with a music video that skillfully matches the mood.
“I am always daydreaming in the bathtub between recordings,” Bryan says of the visual. “That diffuse thinking where your mind wanders freely — I always finish songs when I’m in that state. The idea that your imagination, that escape into another, deeper world can sometimes create a stronger connection with yourself.”
Get into it below.
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