North Wales trio The Joy Formidable, singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, drummer Matt Thomas and bassist Rhydian Dafydd  have been steadily building their reputation over the last year or so. Their sound is very much rooted in early 90’s woozy shoegaze with soaring guitars, buzzing bass, crashing drums but with a harder rockier edge to it all – this is what indie rock is supposed to sound like. To their credit the music exudes both style and substance, more about making a lasting musical impression than drawing you in with a few catchy hooks.

It’s refreshing to discover some new indie/rock artists (call it what you will) that can capture the imagination and make you take note akin to being an impressionable young teenager again.

There’s bags of potential on show here, with an album due out soon one gets the feeling we’re barely scraping the surface. I have been listening to them almost religiously the past few weeks and had hoped to write more but just do yourself a favour and check out their 8-track EP called A Balloon Called Moaning EP – It comes highly recommended from here and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

The Joy Formidable – Whirring

The Joy Formidable – Cradle