Joy and the Wildfire have set the world ablaze with Aftershocks, equal parts raw emotion and stadium-ready anthems. Frontwoman Samantha Joy Pearlman leads the charge with a voice thatโs rich, textured, and utterly captivatingโlike if silk and fire had a baby. With Meghan Doyleโs electrifying guitar work, Jared Deckerโs thunderous drums, and Sean Deckerโs pulsing basslines, this band is carving out a space where indie grit meets arena-rock grandeur.
The title track, โAftershocks,โ kicks things off with an earthquake of emotion and sound. It starts with a restless rhythm, steadily building into a massive, heart-racing anthem. Pearlmanโs soaring vocals and the layered backing harmonies make it feel like youโre being lifted by the very tremors sheโs singing about. And just when you think youโve got your footing, the bridge hitsโgritty, intense, and packed with enough adrenaline to make your heart skip a beat.
Then thereโs โTears in Brooklyn,โ a razor-sharp critique wrapped in shimmery riffs and a pulsating beat. Itโs got that effortlessly cool Pretenders-esque swagger, with a bite of modern frustration. The chorus bursts open like a firework over the East River, filled with biting wit and undeniable catchiness. This oneโs for everyone whoโs sick of trust-fund kids gentrifying their favorite dive bars.
And letโs talk about โMisunderstood.โ This track refuses to sit still, shifting from delicate, airy vulnerability to full-throttle, guitar-blazing rebellion in the blink of an eye. The rumbling drums and brass accents make it feel almost theatrical, but in the most thrilling way possible. And that serpentine guitar solo is absolute perfection.
Aftershocks dares you to dance in the wreckage of the storm it hailed itself. Joy and the Wildfire setting fires that scorch the ground. Check out the height of injury on Spotify.
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Photo credits: Anastasiia Litvinova
Review by: Naomi Joan