Vance Joy is an Australian singer songwriter from Melbourne, who later this month releases his latest body of work, an EP titled 'God Only Loves You When You're Dancing' which is coming out through Infectious Music on November 25th. He visited the UK for a mini tour last month and will return again before the end of the year with a one-off show at St Stephens Church on December 4th.
Having already had airplay on Radio 1 and a critically acclaimed performance at this years SXSW, not to mention the proposed recording of an album for Atlantic next year, it's fair to say this EP is a fair reflection of where Vance Joy is at, as well as where he is going in the future.
'Emmylou' is the first track on the EP, a beautiful introduction to the vocal prowess that Joy commands, his voice sounds believable, a striking combination of fragility and confidence. The track builds slowly at first with just a guitar, but gradually more elements are added almost seamlessly before we've almost entered pop territory without even noticing it. 'Riptide' is the single of the record, clearly taking reference from folk such as the Lumineers with big heartfelt vocals which are hard to not get taken in by.
'Play With Fire' carries on in a similar vain, but it is 'Snaggletooth' where we discover a different dimension to the record. Here emphasis is again placed upon both the vocal delivery and lyrics, as well as some gorgeous strings which give the song extra oomph. There's some guitar finger picking action half way through which breaks things up, but it is the appreciation of space within the song which sets it apart from others on the EP and suggests at greater depth possible on a longer record. The album finishes with 'From Afar', a romantic song that will touch the majority of us and is a lovely way to finish the EP.
Comparisons with Vance Joy can be drawn with the likes of singer songwriters such as Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Keaton Henson, but you can also pick out the likes of The Lumineers and The National within his work, meaning 'God Only Loves You When You're Dancing' is a record that should please many and his is a name we should look out for in the year to come. // Vance Joy // Infectious Music
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