Monday 6/22: No Joy—"Nothing Will Hurt"
Today, we share our thoughts on the new song from the Canadian shoegaze band No Joy.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on "Nothing Will Hurt” by the Canadian shoegaze band No Joy.
No Joy—“Nothing Will Hurt”
Eric Bennett:
Canada’s No Joy are putting out their first new record in five years, and it’s latest single is, well, different. Fans of the grit and fuzz found in their prior work will be disappointed because while they’ve always played with the dreamier side of shoegaze, “Nothing Will Hurt” leans heavily into it. It’s full of drum machines and feels polished in a way that comes off as cold. Risks are important for artists to take, but this one the only truly negative reaction a song can these days: landing with a thud. It’s not the trainwreck you can’t look away from but it’s also not a good song. It’s generic sounding and just kinda dull. “Nothing Will Hurt”: certainly, because nothing will really be felt at all.
Eli Enis:
While I’m inclined to frown at shoegaze bands who ditch the fuzz, I actually think this new No Joy track works pretty nicely as a sort of new-wavey dream-pop song. Although it’s lacking a magnificent guitar swell, the thumping drum machine and enveloping, reverbed vocals still provide a thick enough fog to hold my attention, and I think the squeaky, trip-hoppy synths during the bridge are a nice touch. A couple years back, No Joy did a split EP with Sonic Boom, and I think the influence from modular synth enthusiast Peter Kember shines through here. I’m interested to hear whether this will play out in the context of the record, but as a single I think “Nothing Will Hurt” is pretty tight.