They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Well, a little birdy put this record on my radar in late 2021 and I enjoyed it, but kind of set it aside until its proper release. I liked it on first listen but, today, it just hits harder and deeper. Maybe it’s the right place and time as I manage stress and counter that with summer sunshine -- which, in a nutshell, is kind of the general vibe to Miracle Question. Or maybe it’s a sense of familiarity since, due to SPB, I’m listening to brand new music more often than not these days.
I’d define the sound on this record as indie-punk with a warm and friendly focus. Jenna Marx’s voice is borderline bubbly. Honestly, it rubbed me the wrong way back when I first listened but it’s the complete opposite since I’ve returned to the record. Call it posi-pop-punk with some quirky elements. It’s generally upbeat and, combined with the saccharine vocals, it feels misleadingly happier than it is. It personally recharges my battery, but the lyric sheet might have the opposite effect. The lyrics are mostly written first-person, but they feel universal -- what The Dude would call “the royal we.”
The band has a real knack for making a melody set in and then reinforcing its strengths. The chord-laden punk base flows fluidly, with the vocals doubling down on that adaptability. It just rolls off her tongue, making the foot tap and the head nod. The beats are sometimes deceptively catchy, downright clapping-style beats, but they nicely switch it up so subtly you don’t even notice the musical structure just took a few left turns and went back uphill before the next super smooth chorus rolls down. There’s a uniform sound with these 12 songs, yet each sound different enough that they never run together.
Joyride couldn’t be a more fitting band name. While the record itself is about the uphill and downhill moments, it feels like raising your arms in the air and enjoying the breeze as you blow off a hard day.
