Joywave‘s album Cleanse is out now, marking the band’s 4th studio album and follow-up to 2020’s POSSESSION which came out on March 13th 2020, as the world shut down. Written and recorded during quarantine in Joywave frontman Daniel Armbruster’s home studio, aka the ‘Joycave,’ Armbruster had this to say about the making of Cleanse:
“With our dense touring schedule shelved, I was able to reflect on past travels and appreciate them in a new way. But reminders of our fragile mortality were everywhere, punctuated by the ongoing pandemic and civil unrest. The music began to encompass all of this. It became the words, encouragement, and occasional cautions that I would want to share with you if this was the last time we spoke.”
The title, Cleanse, is an overall reference to coming through a unique and troubling time with a refreshed and rejuvenated perspective on life. Highlights on the album include the catchy and clever “Buy American,” the introspective “After Coffee” which celebrates the pleasures of the mundane, the ambient groove of “Pray For The Reboot,” the brooding and expansive “The Inversion” and “Every Window Is A Mirror” which according to Armbruster recalls “our inability to understand the experiences of others.”