The Joy Formidable
Hitch
(C’mon Let’s Drift)

On their third LP, The Joy Formidable are still writing rock songs that are as massive as ever. Ritzy Bryan’s vocals are smooth and controlled even as her guitar roars with even more emotion. The trio may not be breaking much new ground with Hitch, but it is still a frenetic triumph. This record was produced by the band, and that may have given way to some self-indulgence. Clocking in at over an hour long, the record features many tracks that sprawl on in a somewhat repetitive fashion. While each member provides excellent instrumentation across all twelve songs on Hitch, some tracks like “Radio of Lips” are so overloaded by massive riffs that they start to lose their power. “The Gift,” a muted, mournful track with bassist Rhydian Dafydd on vocals, is sparse enough that the guitar on the track sounds like a response to his lyrics. A long run time isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. The studio banter at the beginning of “The Last Thing on My Mind” lends a bit of humor to a song that seems to concern Bryan’s breakup with Dafydd. “Don’t Let Me Know” is another gem, starting out acoustic and delicate before synth kicks in and guitar teeters just on the right side of control. It’s that ability to build such a layered song and keep the energy from dissipating that marks a strong Joy Formidable track, and for most of Hitch, they’ve done just that.