Ty Segall & White Fence - Joy
Critic Score
Based on 19 reviews
2018 Ratings: #769 / 890
User Score
Based on 94 ratings
2018 Rank: #664
Liked by 1 person
July 20, 2018 / Release Date
LP / Format
Drag City / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
Loud and Quiet

For all its picking apart of rock’s history, there’s a peculiar newness to their music, and that’s a very rare thing when rock really is kind of dead.

80
The Guardian
Unsurprisingly, their second joint venture has the white-knuckle ride aspect you’d expect from musicians who produce new music seemingly at will.
78
Paste
With track times mostly clocking in under 120 seconds, it’s a series of quick hits that are warped but relentlessly tuneful, like a Beatles LP that’s spent a blazing hot afternoon lying on a busy freeway.
78
Pitchfork

Joy is an album to be combed through and prodded. It’s a testament to their shorthand with each other, which somehow ties all the fraying, crusty, silken, wiener dog, kitty cat threads so seamlessly together.

75
Northern Transmissions

Going for a concept record akin to a very demented take on The Who’s Tommy, Joy has tons of over-arching energy to it that makes it a really consistent and engaging listen. With this in mind, it’s the eccentricities of both Segall and White Fence that will decide whether you find this album testing as a listener or one of your favourites of the year.

70
Clash

‘Joy’ is like a rickety wooden rollercoaster – there are a few nice inclines with some mildly disappointing drops between some pulsating flats, and you end up getting off slightly begrudgingly.

70
AllMusic
A few judicious cuts here and there and it would have been a very strong extended play instead of an uneven album that doesn't quite reach the level the duo attained on Hair. It's still worth checking out for fans either artist though, especially if their eccentric natures are their main attraction.
65
Under the Radar

Joy is a little tongue-in-cheek at times, but fans of these two should expect nothing less than lo-fi garage at its most controlled and singular.

60
DIY

Like any Ty Segall or White Fence record, there is much to savour here, and plenty to pass on as well.

60
The Skinny

The new collaboration from the foremost disseminators of psych and garage rock is breezy and fun, but also slight and sadly filled with less exciting ideas than their previous joint project.

60
Crack Magazine

Sometimes the jam sesh lacks drive, but even if Joy isn’t the most essential record in either artist’s deep discography, it’s a gratifying testimony to capturing a moment when it feels right.

60
The Observer

Overall ... Joy fails to replicate the shock of the new and for all its effulgent harmonies, a certain gnarly swagger has been lost.

58
A.V. Club

Like a lot of the aggressively trippy ’60s folk Joy hearkens back to, the experimentation yields mixed results.

58
GIGsoup

Ty and Tim pen some juicily different rock here and there, but it’s missing the vital ingredients that tend to make psychedelic rock memorable – it’s the psychedelic without the sizzle.

50
Consequence of Sound

Though it’s sprinkled with promising ideas ... it spends most of its time in a fuzz haze of undercooked hooks and scattershot callbacks that never really lead to any actual cohesion.

50
Spectrum Culture

Joy sounds more like a between-projects sort of toss-off rather than the solid record they could have made.

40
NME
Sure, it’s worth making the effort if you’re already a Segall Stan or a White Fence mega fan, but beyond that? There’s little here to latch onto that’ll make your stay worthwhile.
Felix_96
50

5/10

meh

Fav tracks: <none>

CheapandLethal
70

Worth a listen

chunderz
79

There isn't too much that these two can do wrong, but 'Joy' certainly doesn't reach the same heights as their 2012 effort, 'Hair.'

Ty Segall and Tim Presley opt for significantly shorter tracks throughout the duration of the fifteen-track album, with the only real outlier clocking in at just over 5 minutes. While their trademark sixties-inspired psych-rock nostalgia is still there, they do delve into other eras and genres of rock at times, which makes for a rich listening journey. Lead single ... read more

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Added on: May 14, 2018