Texas melodic hardcore band Strange Joy put out one of our favorite hardcore releases of 2022 with the 5 Tracks EP, and then they signed to Sunday Drive Records, who’s been promising a new EP from the band. Before that, Sunday Drive is giving 5 Tracks a 12″ vinyl release, and we’ve got an exclusive red vinyl variant, limited to just 100 copies. Pre-order yours while they last!
Previously, we said: Hardcore bands embracing shoegaze and college rock is nothing new, but Texas band Strange Joy’s new 5 Tracks EP asks: what if a hardcore band embraced those sounds without softening up? Throughout the EP, they channel the guitar work of bands like Hum and Dinosaur Jr without taming vocalist Jonah Castillo’s militant bark. On EP closer “Black Hole Love,” they expand their sound even further, incorporating Title Fight-esque melodic singing and a quiet clean-guitar bridge, before exploring into one last burst of aggression.
Pick up our vinyl variant here and stream the EP below.
Those in Texas can catch Strange Joy opening the Houston stop of the Scowl/Militarie Gun/MSPAINT tour on 9/17 and the Fort Worth stop of the Restraining Order/Gumm tour on 9/22.