The Joy Formidable are set to release their third album Hitch on 25 March ahead of a UK tour which brings them to Manchester Academy on 14 May 2016.
The band recently unveiled punchy primary single The Last Thing on My Mind to critical acclaim. The accompanying video challenges the patriarchal gaze that has become so very ingrained in music videos throughout the modern era. With the creation of new music that is clearly carefully-crafted in a way that ignites conversation and inspires change, the band will no doubt showcase some of the very raw emotion and electric performance we’ve come to associate them with, headed up by tenacious lead-singer and guitarist Ritzy.
Speaking of the most recent video, she commented, “It’s a song about freedom, about feeling alive and a part of that is about sexual liberation too which is why we wanted to make a music video from the perspective of a heterosexual female gaze. It shows men in many forms, being free, being sexy, being watched, it’s beautiful and thought provoking and is some small attempt to re address the existing imbalance of perspective and nudity in music videos.”
Hitch, though definitely not short of The Joy Formidable’s quintessential energy, is the product of the band adopting a more minimal approach in production style. Dubbed by Ritzy as “one of the most rhythmical and driving records we’ve made but also the saddest. This album takes you to places that we might not have taken you before”.
Self-assured and clear in vision, the band produced and recorded ‘Hitch’ in their new studio (The Red Brick) in North Wales. ‘We knew that we wanted to capture what we do live on this record’ says Rhydian, ‘so we set up and left the tape running, documenting our headspace and atmosphere over the past 12 months’. Being prolific writers this musically and emotionally put them through the wringer, but as the band explains, “it’s fine for it to hurt, to finish a record feeling exhausted. You have to feel like you’ve really been through something.”
The Joy Formidable perform at Manchester Academy on 14 May 2016.
