Posession - Joywave: Review
is a New York based indie rock band who emerged in the middle of last decade with a handful of moderate hits including their huge collaboration with Big Data, Dangerous. Posession is the bands third record and their first since 2017's Content.
Review By Lavender:
I am more of a fan of the first two Joywave albums than most. Even though I didn't flat out love either of them I do think the band has always deserved more recognition, mainly for their last record Content which still sounded pretty good last month when I listened to it again in preparation for this album. But on Posession the group kind of fades out of favor with meas not only do I think this record is their weakest yet, but their least original as the album is major glam rock worship that borders on Killers rip off.
The record had a number of singles that ran the full gambit of great to very wack, some of which have been out for over a year at this point. Blastoffff is one of the best tracks here and the oldest single that opens up with some horror show keys before transforming into one of the loudest and most explosive tracks here. It's also full of My Bloody Valentine style elephant riffs and a catchy fun hook. Obsession was another decent single with a bouncy groove and some heavier rock elements. The song is a little bit overblown but catchy nonetheless.
The record contains a handful of other highlights as well. Coming Apart is a banger of a track with a great hook and some nice group vocal crescendos. Who Owns Who? surprised me with its enigmatic hook and some pretty compelling lyrical themes it's definitely one of the most detailed and rewarding songs here. The record closes off on a pretty solid note as well starting with No Shoulder. The song gets into the emotions of a break-up in a pretty compelling way and includes some pretty prophetic moments that make it another standout track.
Like A Kennedy is symbolic of one of the biggest problems with the record as the band sees one solid moment, this time its the bridge, then just phones in the rest of the song. This happens again with F.E.A.R which has a great guitar riff and nothing else, and again with the closer Mr. Eastman which has one of the records better hooks but no support for it whatsoever. Even the title track suffers from this as it is a touch catchy but doesn't really illicit any emotion outside of that.
Some of the singles were a real mess starting with Blank Slate a track that sees absolutely nothing happening whatsoever. I dare you to listen to the song and tell me one thing that actually happened because I know you can't. The most recent single from the record was Half Your Age which feels like a pretty weak Killers B-Side. The bridge is kind of cool but every single element of the song feels borrowed from glam rock bands and it doesn't add up to much. Finally the weakest non-single on the record is Funny Thing About Opinions a track that also kicks off with some haunted house synths which immediately got my attention. Unfortunately the verses are super weak and I actually find them super annoying with the chanting style of group vocals and it starts the downfall of the track that spirals until its runtime ends and makes for one of the toughest listens.
Posession isn't terrible but it is a fall into a very mediocre sound that is difficult to overcome for a band of their stature. While I still look forward to hearing new music from the band this is certain to be one of the most forgettable pieces of their discography for a long time, and one of the more average rock albums of the year. 5.5/10
