Cardiff noise pop group Joanna Gruesome is set to release their sophomore album Peanut Butter on May 19 via Slumberland (US) [pre-order: digital / CD+LP], and May 11 via Fortuna POP! (UK) and Turnstile (ROW). Stream the album in its entirety this week on NPR’s First Listen.
Like their debut, the new album was recorded by MJ from Hookworms, with the aim of heightening the group’s “pop” and “aggressive” elements to excessive and hitherto unrecorded levels and contains a record number of hooks, traces of nut and elements of jangle pop, British hardcore punk, atonal music, screaming and drone organs. As songwriter Owen Williams explains: “We tried to make it shorter, more economical and attempted to pack as many hooks and screams in as quickly possible in order to avoid short changing the consumer or wasting her/his/their time. Lyrically it’s more obtuse and surreal but also attempts to mock trad masculine rock themes whenever things do get more lucid. But sometimes musically we embrace them by doing embarrassing guitar solos.”
Comprised of Alanna McArdle (vocals), Owen Williams (guitar), Max Warren (bass), George Nicholls (guitar) and David Sandford (drums), the band all originally met on a wine tasting holiday. Their terrific debut album Weird Sister took the world by storm when it was released in September 2013, going on to win last year’s Welsh Music Prize. Fantastic press support saw glowing press reviews across the board with particular love from Pitchfork and from NME, including a spot on the front cover as part of their Rule Britannia issue, as well as live coverage from The Guardian, Observer and The Independent. At radio their singles have scored a remarkable four out of four on the BBC 6Music playlist and the band have played sessions for both Lauren Laverne on 6Music and for Huw Stephens on Radio One.