Vance Joy is back, and you need to listen to his newest album.
Released on February 23, Joy’s second album, Nation of Two, is his first since Dream Your Life Away. The “Riptide”-singer keeps his folksy-tune, reminiscent of his debut four years ago.
Five singles from Nation of Two were released in advance: “Lay It on Me,” “Like Gold,” “We’re Going Home,” “Saturday Sun,” and “Call If You Need Me.” This comprised of nearly half the album.
The album followed suit and stuck to the Australian singer’s love songs. He has sections throughout the album that grow bigger, with a brass section or just more strings. The album as a whole as a more relaxed and a soothing tone. It’s very Joy-centric.
“We’re Going Home,” is just one example. The song starts slow and builds up. The sudden drop at the end of the last chorus adds to the drama of the melody. It all comes together for a great song to play on repeat.
“Lay It on Me,” released on July 12 of last year, topped at No. 4 on the Billboard US Alternative Songs. The is filled with both upbeat and slower parts. It is a great mix, and definitely one of my favorites on the album as a whole.
Joy’s songs always have his acoustic guitar as the main feature, but that doesn’t mean it’s all chilled out. “Sunday Sun” is a great song to dance along to. It also has a more spoken-feel during the verse. The drums bring up the volume in this song.
If you’re looking for something similar to Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers, Joy’s Nation of Two will be perfect.
If you want to check the album out, it’s on Spotify