Monday 18 February 2019

Premiere: JOOCE - Lazarus / Disarray

JOOCE - Lazarus - Disarray
Photo: Ellen Conn



REMY is delighted to premiere the double A-Side single 'Lazarus / Disarray' from Dublin duo JOOCE. With the band having gone through a significant line-up change and stripped down to two members in Sean Ryan (bass / vocals) and Edward O'Mahony (guitar / lead vox), the re-direction of their sound has been dramatic, unnoticeable from earlier releases.

The first notable characteristic of this new format is their inkling towards high-energy psychedelic rock, one foot firmly in the modern age, and the other (perhaps a toe) bound up in classic psych. It's an interesting mix, taking 'Lazarus' first, it has a very antipodean indie-rock sound, not to mention I can't shake Panda Bear when it comes to the vox on the tracks more trippy moments. As they drop tempo half-way through they are in grandiose David Gilmour guitar territory, loving the elongated guitar solo which grooves its way from the 2-minute mark onwards.

'Disarray' has the sweetest of alt-folk openings, if 'Lazarus' was solo Gilmour, 'Disarray' unashamedly brushes up against Floyd's Atom Heart Mother, think a less theatrical, but more vibrant take on 'Fat Old Sun'. These are mere touch points however, JOOCE making maximum use of their 6 minutes here, as the rhythm fully kicks in at 1:33 we set of on a mini psychedelic opus. Another shift at 3:38 and the pair suck you right down their kaleidoscopic rabbit hole, and it's these seamless changes of both sound and mood that make JOOCE v.2 a very exciting prospect. The musicianship is more than accomplished, and I would love a full LP of bizarre and unbridled psych-rock curios which disregard the rules, but flows as easy as these two tracks.


'Lazaraus / Disarray' by JOOCE is released today and will be available on all popular streaming platforms.