-Greg’s Take-
When bands or artists aim to debut by creating a deep lucid dreamscape, often times they come across as simply depressing folk rather than their intended drifting style of what they think they sound like.
Simply adding echo to vocals and adjusting pitch mid-chord or laying down some ambient synth does not make a sound justifiably “dreamscape” let alone good.
The key to harnessing the emotionally moving trend is finding a balance in vocals and instrumentals that strike at the right moment, but feel natural, not forced. For Orlando, Florida’s Day Joy, they strike dreamscape gold.
Unintentional quirks, interlaced with visionary melodies, while wearing a dark façade makes Go To Sleep, Mess a near perfect web of dreamy escape.
Originally a duo (Peter Michael Perceval and Michael Serrin), Day Joy has grown into a solid five-piece (adding Travis Reed, Artie Burer and Adam Ibrahim). The result of the expansion is a lush rabbit hole of sound dug by experimentation and a purposeful lack of perfection.
The ten tracks are defined by a constant focus on moving forward and a DIY recording process. The album was recorded in Peter’s closet-turned-vocal booth and living room space by the band themselves. Without time constraints and the power of money dictating their recording, Day Joy was able to take their time, tempt the unfamiliar and craft and expansive, yet seemingly easy, sound.
Transporting your emotions like a melodious raft on a dark sea, Go To Sleep, Mess molds mantra-like sounds out of nowhere while keeping you held tightly to their colorful journey. They find sounds that fit, then proceed to pick them apart in ways you wouldn’t expect; even the almost shrieking yodel on “Talks of Terror” fits perfectly into this collage of indie-folk.
The endeavor of Go To Sleep, Mess was a bold undertaking for a debut full length album. But I won’t lie, Day Joy mastered it and in doing so, made it look easy. They don’t portray an over ambitious whininess in their sound like so many often do. They play modest, yet precisely impactful in each track. They reach into the vastness of dreamscapes and grab hold of a very solid, very memorable sound. This is only the beginning for Day Joy but it isn’t hard to imagine this sound creating memories at places like Red Rocks very soon.
