Review by Dillon Crader
Sorority Noise’s second full-length record, Joy, Departed, is one of the greatest emo records I have listened to in a long while. Joy, Departed is the first Release from Sorority Noise through Topshelf Records, and this will add to the several of amazing releases that this label has been a part of. To be honest, I was a little hesitant to listen to this record at first because of the lineup change that the band went through earlier this year. I couldn’t help but wonder if adding Charlie Singer on drums for Sorority Noise would make the band sound similar to Old Gray because both Charlie and vocalist Cameron Boucher are currently in Old Gray as well, but my thoughts were completely wrong.
Joy, Departed starts off with a slow and sad song, “Blissth”. This song really sets the whole mood for the album, hence why this is an amazing emo record. Cameron Boucher really delivers in his vocals, adding real emotions, making you feel just how he does. The next track, “Corrigan”, is one of the few more musically upbeat songs on the album. This song reminded me a lot of songs on Sorority Noise’s first release – catchy and fun, but with heartfelt, emotional lyrics that are easy to connect with. Another killer thing about this track are the guest vocals from vocalist Brendan Lukens of Modern Baseball. “Corrigan” immediately stuck out to me the first time listening to the album and is one of my favorites on the record. Another stand out track is “Using”. This is the third to last song on Joy, Departed. “Using,” yet again, is super relatable in the aspect of temptation and breaking habits and addictions. This song is lyrically superb and dark but musically.
The track listing on the record is good, but with just about every track I feel like the songs alternate from slower tempo to upbeat and catchy. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is something that I noticed right away and I feel that some of the songs could have been placed differently for a lot more of an emotional impact for the listener.
Additionally, the first time I listened to the record, I thought it was abnormally slow and not quite as “fun” compared to Sorority Noise’s previous releases. It took me a couple of times through the album to really fully appreciate that the band had grown and matured, but I’m glad that they have. Though there are a quite a bit of slower songs on the record, I have grown to love every track. Its awesome to see elements of the band growing but also keeping that original spark that Sorority Noise has already found.
Joy, Departed is an amazing album. Though it took a while for the album to grow on me, ultimately, this album is great due to the instruments matching emotions and Cameron’s true, passionate vocals. This album is killer and surpassed any expectations that I had. I am very excited to see what Sorority Noise will do after the release of Joy, Departed.
Rating: 5/5
Listen to “Using”