Joy Cleaner “You’re So Jaded”

Joy Cleaner are new to us but formed in late 2015 and this is their second release. Their debut was praised for its strong hooks and full embrace of power pop song writing, with many comparing their sound to Teenage Fanclub, Guided By Voices and the Lemonheads.

Opening song “I’ll See You At Home” begins sounding like The Cars before it morphs into an almost Nirvana esque grunge sound. That mixture of crunching guitars but with strong melodies is repeated on tracks like “Dramatization” and “See Through”.

However, if you’re looking for a reference point for the band’s sound then it really is The Lemonheads. On tracks like “Pink Lite” and “Out On The Balcony” they manage to match that band’s genius for producing what appear like effortless indie pop songs. A song like “Phlox” is for us the perfect balance of laid back indie cool and punk pop.

There’s certainly something of a ‘nostalgic’ feel to this album. When they really turn up the sunshine pop on songs like “So Much For The Quiet Car“ and “Post-Neurotic” then they produce a sound that fans of Teenage Fanclub will love.

It’s weird how life can throw bands into your music world. We missed out on bands like The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub back in the day. But have actually only recently discovered their genius. It’s therefore brilliant to actually have a current band that are producing a similar sound. So, whilst you might describe Joy Cleaner’s sound as being a bit ‘retro’ that’s not intended to demean it. Actually, what we’re saying is that this is a brilliant album, full of perfect indie pop tunes… so maybe timeless would be a better description.