Peter Joly — Peter Joly

I am all moved into my new place, so hopefully that means more regular updates. It’s a big step, and I’m glad I had Peter Joly to accompany me. Joly’s got such a warm, reassuring voice that lends itself to his subject matter. Which, as it turns out, is change and facing the unknown. Sometimes change can be good or exciting. Sometimes it’s the result of an unfortunate decision or misunderstanding. But at the end of the day, as Joly croons “You will never know how awful things will go/Til they go!”

Joly is at home in those carefully optimistic moments as he is when he’s miserable. A careful lyricist, Joly knows how to pull our heartstrings. The opener, “Heart of Stone,” takes us from the all-to-familiar perspective (I say this empathetically) of a narrator who has regretfully ended a relationship but soon switches the tables on us as, injured, they realize that she’s perhaps moved on faster than expected. Joly’s debut is full of these beautiful twists. The album’s leisurely pace and emotional impact will leave you thinking a bit more carefully about life, observing and enjoying the minutiae around you.

Peter Joly — Facebook, Bandcamp