No Joy / Sonic Boom is a surprising experiment that blends dreamy shoegaze vocals and veteran electronic production. This collaboration represents something completely different put together by No Joy lead singer Jasamine White-Gluz with Pete Kember, aka Sonic Boom.
"Obsession" is the single and EP opener; it begins with and is centred around a simple bass loop peppered with and embellished with White-Gluz's voice. The result is somewhere between dream-pop and disco, and is eminently danceable. The ethereal quality of her voice works great both to add playful lyrics and as a sample to fill out the high range. The track goes through several small movements in its 11-minute length and never loses one's interest.
From there, the remainder of the album is primarily dark and dreamy experiments with different ideas. "Slorb" is a quick witch-house throwback built around a spooky refrain of "hell on the way" and sharp hi-hats. "Triangle Probably" is the least interesting track; it is full of ideas but doesn't fully commit to any of them. "Teenage Panic" is the most reminiscent of other No Joy releases; it chops and screws shoegaze guitar sounds that recall their earlier work. As far as experiments go, this makes it the most interesting track, while "Obsession" is primarily a dance track and sounds like something completely new.
Everything about No Joy seems available to be cut and rearranged, and a sample of White-Gluz's breath is particularly well used. Overall, No Joy / Sonic Boom is a worthwhile listen, and an effective collaboration.
(Joyful Noise)"Obsession" is the single and EP opener; it begins with and is centred around a simple bass loop peppered with and embellished with White-Gluz's voice. The result is somewhere between dream-pop and disco, and is eminently danceable. The ethereal quality of her voice works great both to add playful lyrics and as a sample to fill out the high range. The track goes through several small movements in its 11-minute length and never loses one's interest.
From there, the remainder of the album is primarily dark and dreamy experiments with different ideas. "Slorb" is a quick witch-house throwback built around a spooky refrain of "hell on the way" and sharp hi-hats. "Triangle Probably" is the least interesting track; it is full of ideas but doesn't fully commit to any of them. "Teenage Panic" is the most reminiscent of other No Joy releases; it chops and screws shoegaze guitar sounds that recall their earlier work. As far as experiments go, this makes it the most interesting track, while "Obsession" is primarily a dance track and sounds like something completely new.
Everything about No Joy seems available to be cut and rearranged, and a sample of White-Gluz's breath is particularly well used. Overall, No Joy / Sonic Boom is a worthwhile listen, and an effective collaboration.