When most people hear the name Vance Joy, a stage name of Australian musician, James Gabriel Wanderson Keogh, the immediately think of his smash hit, “Riptide,” from his 2013 album, “God Loves You When You’re Dancing.” Since then, he had released one album in 2014, titled “Dream Your Life Away,” with popular songs “Georgia” and “Mess Is Mine” breaking out— until this year.
Vance Joy’s much awaited album, “Nation of Two” was well worth the long wait. The collection is strikingly intimate, string-heavy and somehow simultaneously idyllic and heartbreaking at the same time. Joy opens the album with “Call If You Need Me,” which truly sets the tone for the rest of the pieces. Singing about the unconditional yearning love over a guitalele, the song swells into dramatic crescendos that can’t help but put the listener in a giddy, playful and almost nostalgic mood. Throughout all of the artist’s albums and singles, Joy’s knack for picturesque storytelling is always at the forefront. Lyrics like “your mother always told us we should go out to the dance” and “you were in the shower we were talking through the glass” feel warm and comfortable, like listening to a couple recount their childhood love story.
Not all of Joy’s pieces for this album are as serendipitous. “We’re Going Home” starts out moody and serious, with the chords eventually building to an inspiring story of feeling at home with those you care about. “If we make it or we don’t, we won’t be alone, when I see your light shine, I know I’m home” reminds the listener that the feeling of home can be found within individuals, and sometimes even more so than in a physical place.
“I’m With You” takes a departure from the overall vibe of the songs before it. The sorrowful theme is somewhat inconspicuous from the start, with the usual string introduction and endearing descriptions of an assumed lover. Many of the lyrics revolve around the idea of his love being fire, like “I’ll be the match to your candle, my darling, I’m ready, to burst into flames for you.” As it progresses, Joy tells the story of a love that’s metaphorically being drenched by an impending storm, “we stood at your front door, you looked at me and said ‘baby, this rain changes everything.’” It’s truly hard not to imagine the bass beats in the back of the song as the thunder putting out their flame.
This album is many things, but it is not lacking in raw human emotion. The songs are reminiscent of the energy Joy has given off in his previous works, but don’t feel recycled or stale. Joy has again provided his fans with several bops in one album- but let’s all hope they won’t have to tide us over for another few years before his next piece of work.
