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After years of playing shows and staying active in the music scene, SoCal band Joynoise released their debut album “You’re Surrounded By The Best Around” on June 10. With people having come and gone since their name change in 2018, members featured on this album include Koch, Darren, Carson, and Johnny (now in Nashville). After 2 ½ years in the making and the previous release of the single “Pollen,” frontman Koch was interviewed to talk about this new step in the band's direction:

 

“To me, ‘Pollen’ was the bridge between old Joynoise and new Joynoise. It’s the first song that was a collaboration between me and Darren and I think it offers a noticeable growth from the ‘Never Have I Ever EP.’ The experience in creating these songs was different than anything we have done in this band before…we collaborated a lot on this record.”

 

The unique album name was not just for show, but is part of the opening track “Joy” and showcases the “bitter cynical sarcasm that ends with hopefulness” seen throughout the album. 

 

“This song, in particular, was in response to my cousin's death, so the line is cynically sarcastic.

While the lyrics deal with coping and the events that followed, most lines are sarcastic in the setting. There was nobody around me and when you say ‘raise around’ it’s supposed to be celebratory but in this case, it was in grief. The album definitely starts off with a very heavy song…and I feel like calling the album ‘You’re Surrounded By The Best Around’  is very indicative of what’s to come after because a lot of songs kind of have that cynical sarcasm about them- in that a lot of them are very conflicting in terms of what the point of view is in the song, what the narrator is talking about along with the conflicting emotions. We were trying to figure out what to call the record after everything was said and done and Johnny suggested several things, including what we ended up with, and we all kind of immediately locked onto that one because it just felt right indicative of the entire record.”

 

The first impression of any album is based on the cover, making it skippable or pickable in the eyes of the listener. Bold red contrasting a black background coloring in a handgun reveals perhaps a deeper meaning while still remaining eye-catching.

 

“I wanted something that caught your eye immediately, and the handgun really stands out. For a while, we didn’t know what it was going to be…we tossed a few ideas but they sucked. To me, the handgun symbolizes aggression and vulnerability. Someone who is taking on the world, but all they have is themselves. I think that encapsulates what the record is about because there are all these songs portrayed in this angsty angry manner, but if you read the lyrics, it's pretty vulnerable and sad. They’re very personal lyrics put behind aggressive-sounding music, like a loud dog with no bite.”

 

Change is inevitable with time and their current sound is no exception. Having been performing a while along with having music on streaming platforms, fans and listers can hear the progression and growth in writing, vocals, and mixing with this new release.

 

“We’re a completely different band now…I mean that with still a lot of reverence for what we used to be when we started but also a lot of pride in what we are now. I think that it's a complete jump away from what we’ve done before in the sense that it's more ambitious and a bit more mature and better crafted, you can tell that more people have their hands in it and what came out was a really good product. There were things we started to flirt with, like more theatrical styles of writing. Definitely a lot of My Chemical Romance influence and definitely Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground visually. There are small parts of each of that bleeds into these songs…for all of them I think that those inspirations really came into play in making a unique sound.”

 

Announcing not one but two album release shows in Orange County (The Locker Room)  and San Diego (Soma), the band could finally play songs that have been years in the making. 

 

“It was weird…at both, I was super nervous leading up to the show because of the covid spikes, changes in the lineup, and overall turnout. Playing the full record at The Locker Room was very weird in that it was 2 ½ years in the making with so many ups and downs, nerve-racking but also kind of cathartic, but I remember when we got to ‘Afterglow’ I was so nervous to play it because it’s piano. In the end, it was almost like ‘alright, I did it, I don't have to worry about it anymore,’ like taking a weight off my chest. I intend on continuing to play these songs and hope it grows so more people find it and love it because we all really put out hearts and souls into this record we’re really proud of it.”

 

Joynoise’s debut album “You’re Surrounded By The Best Around” is available on streaming platforms now with a vinyl preorder shipping in the fall. 

 

“It still hasn't sunk in that the whole record’s out yet, personally, it’s still kind of a mind fuck since it’s been so long of a process.”