(Indie Folk, Indie Pop, Female Vocal) Paper Aeroplanes - Joy - 2015, MP3, 320 kbps

Paper Aeroplanes’ third full length album. Recorded in Cardiff in 2014, JOY blends the duos folk stylings with more electronic and pop elements, to create something really rather nice.
After a series of albums full of self-confessed “break-up songs”, Paper Aeroplanes’ new album JOY takes an optimistic tone. Mostly. There’s still time for a hint of melancholy on songs such as Sail, Placebos and the haunting Goldrush.
“I’d basically had enough of feeling a bit sad, frustrated and dissatisfied, says singer Sarah, and wanted to change all of that. During the process of trying to learn that elusive skill of being happy, these songs emerged. This album is about the light that is revealed after a period of darkness. It’s about love that lasts and the blue that is always behind the clouds, the calm that is underneath the panic in your stomach.”
“This was the first time we’d worked closely with a producer and not arranged all of the music ourselves. Mason Neely (Cerys Matthews, Lambchop, Colorama, Sufjan Stevens) was deeply involved in the making of the album, almost like a third band member which was exciting because it provided a whole new bank of ideas and skills. We found ourselves trying quite different instrumentation and moving into new territories but we hope the essence of our sound endures.”
The album is flavoured with more electronic ingredients than previous Paper Aeroplanes releases but their folk-roots shine through the layered production, particularly on the finger-picked guitar refrain of Race You Home.
It’s apt that such an uplifting record should come at a time when the band are soaring. A sell-out show at London’s iconic Union Chapel and several successful European tours under their belt, this is a band that has grown slowly and steadily and, with a quiet confidence, sailed past many of the ’next big things’ to build a strong and loyal fan-base.