The Joy Formidable formed in 2007 as a trio from Wales, with Ritzy Bryan on vocals and guitar, Rhydian Dafydd on bass, and Matt Thomas on drums. Their debut album 'The Big Roar' came out in 2011, featuring songs like 'Whirring' that showed their mix of indie rock and shoegaze textures. The record got attention for its loud, emotional sound built around Bryan's voice and the rhythm section's force.
They've put out a few more albums since then, including 'Wolf's Law' in 2013 and 'AAARTH' in 2021. Dafydd left the band at some point, and Aaron James joined on bass. Tracks like 'I Don't Want To See You Like This' and 'Endtapes' kept their guitar-heavy approach while letting the arrangements breathe a bit more.
Their music doesn't really fit into one category, it's got melody and noise in roughly equal measure, and they've kept at it without changing the basic formula too much. The songs tend to build up and release in ways that work well live, which is probably why they've stayed around.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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