Band of the Week #37 - Sick Joy

Photo Credit - Jessie Morgan

This weeks Band Of The Week is Brighton's Sick Joy, who's EP 'Amateurs' is out today via SaySomething Records.




The EP is a fresh take on old school grunge, taking influence from bands like Nirvana and the Pixies but with a modern British twist to it. While some grunge can just be a wall of fuzzy and noise, Sick Joy have managed to create their own version of it, giving it a more polished sound while still holding onto that original gritty effects pedals vibe that grunge has.

We had a chat with them about the EP and how it came together -

What are the ideas and themes behind the EP?
We wanted to do something a little bit organic. No samples or ultra quantising and stuff. Just mic placement and gain really. We were listening to a lot of bands with that vibe at the time and felt like it synchronised with the sounds we were making at the time.

How would you describe it to someone who has never listened to you before?
Pop’s ugly sister.

Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories?
With our friend Josh Harrison at Brighton Electric, which is a great studio and place in general. I know a bunch of people that would prefer to hang out there than at a lot of bars. We didn’t have a lot of time to do it all so there’s not many stories to be honest, it was all pretty succinct and hashed out quickly. We did vocals later to save some money and ended up doing them in the bathroom at our flat. I think we might have eaten our weight in Quorn cocktail sausages too. Those things are fucking amazing. Alpro chocolate milk too. Fuck. The life blood of the EP.

What are the plans for the rest of the year?
We’re going back in the studio for something in a month or so. Then hopefully just a bunch of shows and festivals. Same as everyone I think.

Feature created by Ant Adams