Arkansas duo joan — the project of Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford — have finally unveiled their debut album with the release of superglue. The band will also be making its way through the U.S. with an early summer tour that will include stops at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on Jun. 7 and the Constellation Room in Santa Ana on Jun. 6. Adhering to their commitment to making the kind of exuberant pop that’s pliable enough to serve as a soundtrack for all of life’s variable moments. On their first full-length release, the duo leans into their penchant for gleeful love songs while also drawing on their newly begun fatherhood.
In a lot of ways, the love that radiates from superglue is not unlike joan’s own brand of eclectically situational pop. Its collection of warmhearted and effervescent melodies mirrors both tenderhearted romantic affection as well as a kind of parental reverence towards their children. The album’s opening track “life death & everything between” — which begins with a few sampled recordings of baby laughs — unfolds as this twinkling lullaby that reels around the kind of existential musings seemingly inspired by the birth of their kids. The acoustic comfort of “monsters” offers words of soothing and promises of protection amidst its lush swells of strings; while the album’s title track serves as this anthemic assurance towards their kids to always be this sustaining source of support in their lives.
“We naturally felt comfortable in the world of love songs,” Rutherford explained. “This time, we were like, ‘Let’s get more personal.’ We both had babies in the past year. We’ve grown more than we have in a long time. It’s so cool watching your baby crawl for the first time and see the world. It organically informed the writing. The whole body of work is so personal — like we’re giving a piece of ourselves to listeners. It’s by far the most special thing we’ve done.”
But apart from envisioning themselves as the “superglue” that holds together the lives of their children and those they love, the album also hones in on love itself as this adhering element essential to life. From the off-kilter and bombastic pop explosions of “nervous” to the driving bass of the jittery “feeling like dancing,” joan is still just as obsessed with soundtracking those inciting moments of romance.
On “coffee shop” they create this simulated radio tuning that adds a bit of nostalgic flair to the track, one that cuts immediately into the next track “don’t wanna be your friend,” a song that echoes the early 00s soaring pop anthemics. Other standouts include the rushing melodics of “backseat driving” and “flowers,” which pivots between these melancholic lulls and clamorously invigorating surges of jovial instrumentals.
See them perform at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on Jun. 7 and the Constellation Room in Santa Ana on Jun. 6. View the complete list of tour dates below!
Visit joan on their Instagram and Twitter to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
joan tour
May 13 – The Masquerade (Hell Stage): Atlanta, GA
May 14 – The Basement East: Nashville, TN
May 16 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
May 17: The Lounge @ World Cafe: Philadelphia, PA
May 19 – The Black Cat: Washington DC
May 20 – The Sinclair: Boston, MA
May 23 – The Velvet Underground, Toronto, ON
May 25 – Subterranean: Chicago, IL
May 31 – Parish: Austin, TX
June 1 – Club Dada: Dallas, TX
June 3 – Valley Bar: Phoenix, AZ
June 4 – Voodoo Room @ HOB: San Diego, CA
June 6 – Constellation Room: Santa Ana, CA
June 7 – Teragram Ballroom: Los Angeles, CA
June 8 – Popscene @ Rickshaw Shop: San Francisco, CA
June 10 – Polaris Hall: Portland, OR
June 11 – Barboza: Seattle, WA
June 13 – Soundwell: Salt Lake City, UT
June 14 – Larimer Lounge: Denver, CO
June 16 – Little Rock Music Hall: Little Rock, AR
Words: Steven Ward
Listen to superglue the new album from joan below!
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