joys we were - tender affection age

joys we were

tender affection age
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

There is very little information available about the band joys we were. The band hails from Moscow, Russia and tender affection age is their first release. Tender affection age is an eclectic rock album that flirts with post-punk and garage. You can hear some influence from dark demi-gods like Joy Division and Happy Mondays. The production itself is also reminiscent of what type of textures and tones you would hear coming from an album like Closer. It’s gritty, the drums are dry and aren’t overly compressed, and it sounds raw.

Tender affection age has more successes than mishaps and I found the album to be an easy listen. The eleven songs rarely go past the four-minute mark and there is plenty here that your ears can appreciate.

They start the album off with “other side” which I thought was an odd choice as an opener because it wasn’t indicative of what the general vibe of the album is. It’s a bouncy, upbeat track that strays from post-punk. The auto-tune like effect they implement on the vocal feels out of place and random. 

The band's best material starts to happen midway through the album. “Only loss” was a clear highlight. The guitar sounded great but the vocal harmonies were what made the song pop. It’s has a distinct punk feel and it sounded natural on the band. The band goes on a streak of solid songs after that. “Dog on the chain” is a sludgy, relatively dark track while “queen for a day” is the song where you hear the influence from Joy Division. 

The other song that was a definitive highlight was “to deborah curtis with love.” It contains some of the most infectious and memorable vocal melodies and I thought the atmospheric synths were a nice touch. “Burn” is another solid number but it is mostly instrumental. Tender affection age contains a number of songs that feel out of place towards the beginning but as the album progresses the band manages to ride a consistent wave of notable songs.

The band has some talent and I hope to hear them build off the post-punk vibe they have established.

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