At the top of this year, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun released a very moving single “Nothing Comes Easy.” Today, she’s returned with another thoughtful single “Kind,” which also announces her new album Hope Is A Heavy Thing that’s out September 25.
“Kind” showcases Oladokun’s silky vocals. She even sounds comforting when her lyrics take a dark, vulnerable turn: “I give more grace when I should let things suffer/ But fuck around and you’ll discover/ There’s blood stains on my teeth.” It sounds like she’s having fun with the delivery of that last line, a little mischievous.
Oladokun shared, in a press release, that Hope Is A Heavy Thing was written “to help myself find my light again after burning out.” It was produced in Nashville, New York, and the back of her speeding tour bus, “this album is sonically an homage to all of the music that inspires me.” Those influences include the “brilliance of the Soulquarians, the rawness of Bob Dylan, the rhythms of afrobeats, and the sampling prowess of J Dilla…the Ronettes and a few songs that find inspiration in rock and roll protest music of the 60’s and 70’s.”
She added: “It is a record I wrote for anyone who finds themselves wondering how to hope in these times. Sometimes it means looking back and digging through the muck to find what’s worth fighting for again.”
Listen below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Raised By The Radio (A Reintroduction)”
02 “Dear Maria”
03 “Easy Company”
04 “Kind”
05 “TOGIAIM”
06 “Sage (Feat. Adekunle Gold)”
07 “The End Of The World”
08 “Zombie”
09 “Toothache”
10 “Don’t Call Me Baby!”
11 “Die Young”
12 “Time Is A River”
Hope Is A Heavy Thing is out 9/25 via Concord Records. Pre-order here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source stereogum.com ’
