The enigmatic singer-songwriter Joy, who relocated from Canada to London, and records under the moniker Joyeria, has released this debut studio album at exactly the right time. The songs have a nostalgic, often frenetic feel that should appeal to ’90s – and current – indie kids alike.

From its insistent opener ‘Duller Grey’ which comes on like a 2026 companion to ‘Autumn Sweater’-era Yo La Tengo, to the loose slacker shakedown of ‘Damn!’ the band wear their influences on their plaid sleeves, but what stops this from being a pale imitation is the songwriting – it’s extremely fully-formed.

There’s enough invention and bursts of dissonance here to sate any fan of Sonic Youth and Bodega. For example, ‘Back In the UKKK’ has an easy-breezy jangle, albeit with spat out polemic. Then, there’s the nine minute plus track ‘The Donkey’, which comes across like a spoken word epic that’s reminiscent of ‘Daydream Nation’ and EVOL in the way it unravels into an unearthly guitar squall.

Tenderness and noise, suffice it to say, co-exist beautifully in an album that gives more with repeated listens. Riffs chip away at the psyche, and there’s a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction at our fractious United Kingdom, yet it’s all delivered with gorgeous sarcasm. It won’t be available on streaming services, which seems appropriate. Joy isn’t interested in the curated playlist culture, and why should he be? Hats off to the malcontents.