The most surprising thing about this album is that Rolling Stone reviewed it. We’d guess a mention in RS is something many bands dream of, so why a cult noise/punk outfit from Car-diff should make it we don’t know.
They’ve got interesting back-story: the name is a reference to harp-playing Joanna Newsom, whose music is so exciting we once walked out of a gig and drove home in the rain, which was more exciting.
According to Wikipedia, Joanna Gruesome were formed in 2010 in Cardiff at the suggestion of an anger management class. Interesting.
Musically, opener Last Year tells you all you need to know about indie music from the late 70s/80s — fast, aggressive guitar and a woman shouting/singing lyrics. It took us back, we can tell you. But about a minute in (and time is important, this album isn’t even 25 minutes long), it suddenly skips forward 20 or so years to become trendy indie of a few years back, tunefully strummed guitars with shoegazer female vocals.
After this they combine the aggressive guitar with the tuneful singing; obviously it’s cool enough to impress Rolling Stone.
We want to like it but ultimately it’s a one-trick pony — possibly why the album is short. Still, if you like fast indie noise and have a 23-minute commute to work it’s probably going to float your boat.
Sadly, (at least according to Wikipedia) singer Alanna Mcardle has left, her replacement being Kate from feminist/queer punks Pennycress, and Roxy, of Two White Cranes.
The band met them both in an occult bookshop. Obviously.