Joy Anonymous Surprise-Release ‘Us People (Source Material)’ And New Single ‘JOY (Play Power)’

The duo strip their next era back to demos and acoustic guitar, while the single shows where it’s heading.

Joy Anonymous have picked a good moment for a surprise. Hours before their second sold-out night at Hackney Church, the duo have dropped a 16-track body of work, ‘Us People (Source Material)’, alongside a new single, ‘JOY (Play Power)’.

‘Source Material’ is the quiet side of the project. Finger-picked acoustic guitar, softly sung falsetto and thrumming hand percussion make for a record that invites you inward. It also works as a preview. These are demo versions of the songs that underpin this new era, before the weight and volume of their live shows are added.

‘Play Power’ is the louder counterpart. Grooving basslines and guitar melodies sit under Hen’s smooth vocal, and the mood is euphoric and optimistic. The song is about how people get in their own way, turning molehills into mountains that end up defining a period of life, until a simple sentence or a simple letting go shows how small the thing really was. The title, they say, plays on the idea that power is usually seen as heavy and dominating, when you can play with it instead. The video introduces Saya and her story. It follows ‘JOY (Shit You Make Me Feel)’ and ‘JOY (Light In The Dark)’.

The drop lands in the middle of a Hackney Church run that opened last week with a sold-out show, joined by New York artist MOTHERBOARD. Tonight is the second night, and a third follows on 31st October after demand forced an extra date. It comes after a sold-out London residency at The Jazz Cafe earlier this year. Once it wraps, they’ll support Ezra Collective on the European leg of their headline tour.