Today, Mt. Joy announce that their self-titled debut, 'Mt. Joy' will be out March 2nd on Dualtone, an Entertainment One company. In just over a year the LA-via-Philadelphia band has racked up over 10 million streams on Spotify, toured with The Shins, Whitney, The Head And The Heart and The Lone Bellow, and performed at Newport Folk Festival, Bonnaroo, Made In America and Lollapalooza. They are gearing up for a January tour with Neko Case (full dates below) and are already confirmed for SXSW in March.
'Mt. Joy' was produced by Jon Gilbert (The Kills) and features 13 original songs that tackle addiction, politics, and mental health. Watch an on-the-road video for their new single "Silver Lining" -- "an intense blast" (KCRW) of the band's confessional, defiant songwriting that hit #1 on the Hype Machine Charts last month -- here: https://youtu.be/3cZQxY4PDS8
Just over one year since posting "Astrovan," Mt. Joy -- comprised of Matt Quinn (vocals / guitar), Sam Cooper (guitar), Michael Byrnes (bass), Sotiris Eliopoulous (drums), and Jackie Miclau (keys) -- has been elevated from a "why not?" musical project between reunited high school friends into a full-time entity. "The irony of 'Astrovan' was that song was really about being stuck in a life and wanting to have the opportunity to pursue a dream," says Quinn, "and in an instant it gave us that opportunity."
Steeped in folk-rock tradition and powered by the intuitive creative connection between Quinn and Cooper, the songs on 'Mt. Joy' depict Quinn wrestling with his own conscience, where the mundane and the fantastic collide as he processes tragedy, social change, and love. Opener "I'm Your Wreck" describes "monsters in (the) closet, using up the wi-fi" as it cycles from its desperate, spiraling verses to its swinging, stubbornly optimistic coda, while the loping, plaintive chords of "Younger Days" meditate on a frayed psyche and the fear of choosing the wrong path. "Sheep," with its collapsing, hoarse-voiced cry of "freedom was paid in blood," is a post-Trump salvo on the responsibilities of the fortunate to overcome political and social despondency. And on "Silver Lining," perhaps the album's most moving moment, Quinn surveys the damage of hard drugs and the vicious cycle of addiction, as the song's melancholic sentiment kicks into its fervid, defiant chorus, all shout-along vocals and trilling guitars.
Pre-order 'Mt. Joy' here: https://www.dualtonestore.com/collections/mt-joy
'Mt. Joy' Tracklist:
I'm Your Wreck
Dirty Love
Silver Lining
Bigfoot
Sheep
Julia
Mt. Joy
Astrovan
Cardinal
Jenny Jenkins
Sado
St. George
Younger Days
Tour Dates
Dec 07 -- Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Dec 08 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room - Highland Park
Jan 11 -- Northampton, MA @ The Academy Of Music Theatre*
Jan 12 -- Hartford, CT @ Infinity Music Hall*
Jan 13 -- Barre, VT @ Barre Opera House*
Jan 14 -- Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre*
Jan 15 -- Albany, NY @ Hart Theatre at The Egg*
Jan 17 -- Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre*
Jan 18 -- Richmond, VA @ The National*
Jan 19 -- Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre*
Jan 20 -- Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre*
Jan 21 -- Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel*
Jan 23 -- Greensboro, NC @ The Carolina Theatre*
Jan 24 -- Charleston, SC @ Music Farm*
Jan 25 -- Chattanooga, TN @ The Walker Theatre*
Jan 26 -- Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall*
Jan 27 -- Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theatre*
Mar 25 -- Tucson, AZ @ Innings Festival
* = with Neko Case
\Mt. Joy On The Web:
Website: http://www.mtjoyband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtjoyband
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtJoyBand
Instagram: https://https://www.instagram.com/mtjoyband/
For more information please contact James Rainis (jrainis@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media, (718) 522-7171