Hello Reader,
Welcome back for another review on SWT.
Today, we’re going to delve into Slow Joy. Dallas-based and New Mexico-born Chicano artist Esteban Flores is the man behind the moniker of this up-and-coming band. Last year, Flores released his debut EP, Mi Amigo Slow Joy, after he began making music as an outlet to cope with his mother’s passing. The EP earned Flores critical acclaim from many publications, and a live session from Audiotree and a “Best New Band” nod from the Dallas Observer. Slow Joy’s music genres are best described as a fusion of emo, grunge, and shoegaze melodies with Flores’ melancholic lyrics, his Mexican-American heritage, and small-town roots. The result is some gorgeous songs you’ll have to listen to if you haven’t already!
On Friday, May 16th, Slow Joy will release its debut album, A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming. It’s out via Mick Music for your listening pleasure. The album was produced by Mike Sapone (Oso Oso, The Front Bottoms, Taking Back Sunday), and most of it was recorded at Ghost Hit Recording in Springfield, Massachusetts. From the album’s press release: “Flores co-wrote several tracks with Josh Varnadore, Zach Degaenato, and Jordan Witzigreuter. He’ll tour the album in 2025, continuing to build his fanbase, whom he prefers to call ‘homies.’ Flores ends with, “The universe keeps pulling me back to music. I have to honor that.”
And now for some hype for your ears and eyes from Slow Joy’s YouTube channel:
The dizzying, at times, video for the fantastic song, “Gruesome”:
(All credits and rights to Slow Joy and Mick Music)
The full band on display in the video for the excellent, carthatic song “Wound”:
(All credits and rights to Slow Joy and Mick Music)
The videos are a continuous series. Love the concept. See how this one goes, in the reassuring song, “Here For You”:
(All credits and rights to Slow Joy and Mick Music)
A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming is a great debut full-length album. As a foundation, it will provide Flores and Slow Joy with a solid footing for their complete discography. That’s not to say this album is a basement floor or at the bottom, as this release is a fantastic collection of songs. I think that you’ll be hooked like me after the first listen, and yet the songs will grow on you as you listen again and again. I’m eager to see what the future holds for Slow Joy. If the cathartic and relatable songs of loss serve as the only release for the band, the album and current discography would still serve for decades to come as a must-listen.
The production that went into this release shows in each track. The compositions are excellent throughout the album, showcasing a good balance of genre, style, and musicianship. The lyrics showcase Flores as an experienced writer. One can always improve, but I think he got all he could out of each particular song on this album. His vocal deliveries, tone, and pace fit each song. The common theme of catharsis is prevalent on most songs, but I think most listeners will relate to and be affected by “Wound,” among other gems. The voicemail from his abuelita in “Hi Mijo” followed by the song “Te Amo” is not only a touching moment but also an example of perfect song sequencing on the album. Listen to the entire album for yourself, and tell me what got you in the feels while experiencing the songs. Kudos to all involved on this album, from the writing to the sound to the musicians, as all did an exemplary job.
A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. As always, this rating is relative to all new releases this year and stands among the best so far. As a listener, I’m grateful Flores shares his artistic talents with the rest of us. It’s a great listening experience from start to finish and will leave you wanting more. It’s fucking fantastic. Add it to your collection in the format of your choice. Vinyl would sound great while the songs go through your floor speakers.
A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming Track listing (song length)
- Surburban Heaven (0:58)
- Gruesome (2:14)
- Drowning (3:00)
- Wound (3:00)
- Bent (3:03)
- Hi Mijo (0:26)
- Te Amo (2:04)
- Here For You (2:20)
- Until The End (2:32)
- Crawl iii (2:31)
- Do I Wear You Out (3:20)
- Bittersweet (3:01)
- 4u4me4everyone (3:13)
Total runtime: 31:42
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The listening process with A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming will take just over half an hour, just over an hour if you listen twice back to back from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, I found the songs highlighted in green font above to be my favorite songs on this album.
Find out more about Slow Joy at their website, which includes tour dates, merch, and more. Follow their Facebook page, Instagram, and Spotify.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
