If there’s a calm amongst the storm, it might be hard to visualize it at this time. On a personal level, all hell breaks loose for everyone at some point, while other things are out of our control and require some level of adaptability. Mt. Joy feel it, and their latest single “Acrobats,” off upcoming second album, Rearrange Us (June 5), is a lyrical instruction manual on finding something serene amid the chaos.
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Atmospheric and tense, “Acrobats” swells into some unknown, then resurfaces on the edge of a soothing remedy with singer Matt Quinn offering his own advice on panic attack management—Realize your surroundings / Count five things in the room.
“It’s a song about walking away from the ledge during a panic attack,” the band tells American Songwriter.
Just off tour with The Lumineers, and a performance of lead single “Strangers” on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Mt. Joy are on some joyful kick, despite their oft, melancholy subject matter. Still riding off their 2018, self-titled debut, which coincidently touches on fears and anxieties, Rearrange Us, produced by Tucker Marine (Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket), is the next step forward for the five-piece folk rockers.
Pianos and rhythmic riffs flood through “Acrobats.” It plays like a visceral portrait of what Mt. Joy are capable of now, from its haunting vocals and distorted instrumentation, it’s a song that tends to stick with you long after the last note.
“We didn’t intend it to be apropos of any particular moment,” says Mt. Joy. “But we hope it gives you power to roll with the punches. Enjoy it, share it, fuck it.”
