No Joy

Montreal trio No Joy emerged in 2010 with Ghost Blonde, a debut album that wonderfully reimagined late '80s and early '90s Creation and 4AD shoegaze and dream pop as well as anybody in the last decade. Following last year's transitional Negaverse EP, the band recorded an entire LP, mixed by the Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner, only to turn around and scrap it for being "too weird." Heading into a proper studio with producer Jorge Elbrecht, No Joy indulged in their surroundings to make Wait to Pleasure. The upgrade to an outside producer benefits their seriously layered sound, as they're relying less on straight-up rock song structures and taking creative leaps, like the incorporeal whisperings of "Pleasure" and the mesmeric "Lunar Phobia." The latter is a benchmark moment that recalls the tricked-out studio work of Cocteau Twins and Medicine. That's not to say No Joy have let up on the ripping guitar jams, which are represented by the plunging "Lizard Kids" and the sludgy cacophony of "E," as well as a pretty pop number like the jangly "Wrack Attack." Wait to Pleasure is a marked improvement on their debut that demonstrates No Joy's capacity as sonic adventurists capitalizing on the advantages of a studio environment. There's no doubt they'll become even more confident and successful in expanding the scope of their music, which judging by what they've accomplished so far, hints that exciting times are ahead.