JOY AND THE WILDFIRE

Q: Aftershocks addresses themes of change, loss, and emotional upheaval. What led you to center the album around these ideas?

Joy and the Wildfire came together in the wake of the pandemic so it would be odd if change, loss and emotional upheaval wasn’t at least somewhat present in the songs we made! Globally, we went through a collective trauma that we are all still processing. On some level this album definitely has emotional shrapnel from that moment.

Q: A lot of the lyrics are of drifting apart from people. Do you see Aftershocks as a break-up album, or is it change on a more universal level?

I love that you see Aftershocks as a breakup album. In many ways, it is. Andrew, the keyboardist/producer/co-writer of the record, and I ended our creative partnership over the course of making this record. We would fight and then write songs about that. We started to become addicted to fighting and I wanted to write about other things. It was an untenable arrangement. While he is no longer in the band, I truly wish him nothing but the best.

In retrospect, Aftershocks is an album about the breakup I had with my younger self. I’ve outgrown a lot of people pleasing tendencies (still working on a lot of it) and this music is about that tumultuous time of grappling with who I’ve become.

Q: In Consequence of Time, you’re singing about relationships naturally falling apart. Do you think that’s something we should accept, or something we should try to fight?

Oh man, I fight it with all my might! LOL

I believe that you should always fight for relationships that you care about. But relationships take two people. Relationships are guaranteed to change and drifting apart will happen if two people are steering the ship in opposite directions. However, sometimes you’re fighting for something that has run its natural course. That’s where I know I’ve gotten myself into trouble. Are both people coming to the table honestly wanting deep repair? If not, let it go.

Q: The Assistant has much to do with the theme of illusion and perception. Is that song about personal identity, or was there another inspiration behind it?

I hate it when someone will create a story in their mind about who I am but I know the story is false. No matter what I say or do, they have a fixed mindset and are committed to that miserable story. When I wrote the hook to “The Assistant”, I originally thought about that.

As Andrew and I developed the song, we created this character of a magician’s assistant who puts herself through emotional and physical abuse for her boss. The song serves as a metaphor for the lived experience of a woman in a patriarchal world.

Q: There’s a strong feeling of being misunderstood throughout the album, especially in Misunderstood and The Assistant. Was making these songs a way of reclaiming your own voice?

100%. I’ve spent a lot of my young adulthood trying to take up less space so others around me can feel more comfortable. I’m done with that.

Q: Lessons has the feel of a really introspective reflection on making the wrong decisions. Do you think that song is a warning to someone else, or more of a letter to your past self?

It’s both. It’s a warning to myself to not make the same mistakes again. It’s a love letter to my ex, hoping he learned from our mistakes too. It’s a letter to anyone who’s hurt someone they loved to remember to learn and grow from it. Mistakes are inevitable, but growth is a choice.

Q: Zachary is a heartbreaker of a song on the album. What’s the background on that one?

One day I was scrolling on social media and I saw a tragic story that my friend from college took his own life after his struggle with mental illness. I was absolutely devastated by the news. Zack and I lost touch for a few years and I didn’t know he was struggling. I didn’t know what to do except to write this song. He was a tremendous musician and you can listen to his music here: zack-rosen.com

When I brought it to the band, I didn’t tell them the full backstory of the song. We started to arrange the song as a group. Our bassist Sean started to take lead in the arrangement and we all agreed the bass should really sing on the song. It was a beautiful moment of musical conversation and collaboration. It wasn’t until I returned home and listened back to the rehearsal recording that I realized of course the bass was the lead instrument in the arrangement. Zack played the bass. That was Zack in the room with us.

Q: Tears in Brooklyn has this very visceral and biting imagery. What was the inspiration behind that song?

Living in NYC, you meet a lot of rich kids cosplaying as broke, creative types. They made Williamsburg into a high end shopping mall! So many artists in the city are wealthy kids living off of mommy and daddy’s money and the lifeblood of the New York art scene is fading away. But there are real people here hustling and we deserve an anthem too.

Q: Paradise is one of the more hopeful moments on the record. Was it always your intention for the record to come to a conclusion in that manner?

The track order of the album is very intentional. We wanted to guide you out of the darkness of the record and end on a hopeful note. I love that you experience Paradise as a hopeful song! In my mind, that’s one of our most cynical songs but listening to it through a hopeful lens makes me smile.

Q: Back to You concludes the record on this note of being conflicted between moving on and looking back. Is that something that you personally struggle with?

It’s very hard for me to let go. I hold on tight. My grandmother would always say “When you have me as a friend, you have me for life; you can’t get rid of me.” I definitely inherited that from her. When I love you, I Iove hard. I also always strive to see the good in people, even when they have been utterly shitty towards me. That has led to some unhealthy relationships in my life. I’m learning to be more discerning with my trust.

Q: Was there a specific song on Aftershocks that was the most difficult to write, emotionally?

Definitely Zachary. I wanted to get it right. Often when I’ve written songs in the past, the songs will come in one giant flow. “Zachary” came to me in pieces and I did lots of rewrites on it. It changed how I write songs. It raised the bar for me. Be intentional. Don’t settle. Find a better way to say it. Challenge myself. Again, I felt like Zack was there for me, encouraging me to grow.

Q: On the other hand, was there a song that came together very easily, like it just flowed out of you?

I think Andrew and I wrote “Back to You” in one night. I had a very emotional reunion with a loved one and I went to Andrew’s apartment afterwards. I was in a very raw state and Andrew and I got right to work. We were finishing each other’s sentences and we really understood each other’s pain in that moment. The song felt unfinished and rough around the edges but that’s what I loved most about it. It was such a perfect musical encapsulation of returning to a relationship that ultimately harms you more than it helps you. When we recorded it in the studio, Chris Smucker’s sax solo was so joyous and fantastic. I love that the album sweeps you away into this extended instrumental section as if to say “Life goes on”.

Q: The album struggles a lot with aging and looking back at past versions of yourself. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would you say?

You’re a fucking rockstar and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Don’t waste your time dimming your light to make other people more comfortable. We need light in the darkness so be brave, dear one!

Q: Aftershocks is such a personal album, and yet it’s something that’s universal as well. Do you ever think about people interpreting your lyrics differently than you did when you wrote them?

That’s my favorite part of sharing songs! I love when someone proudly declares what they think the song is about and I always reply “Yes! It’s about that!” Because to them, it is about that. One time I shared a song from my solo record with a good friend of mine. He called me all teary and said “Is that song about my divorce?!” It definitely was not but I loved that interpretation and totally heard how he could hear that.

Every time I sing the songs I learn something new about them. The songs change shape and meaning to me depending on what’s going on in my life. Songs are universal and that’s the best part of exploring them.

Q: Some of the lyrics also point to frustration with communication—things left unsaid, misunderstandings, regrets. Do you think music is your way of saying the things that you couldn’t say before?

Definitely. I’ve always written songs as a way to process big ideas and I can say things through music that I can’t say as fully in regular speech. If I don’t burst into tears at least once writing the song, then I haven’t found the core truth of the piece. I’m interested in getting to the truth. I’ve spent enough time in my life hiding behind people pleasing masks. Joy and the Wildfire helps me stop doing that.

Q: Aftershocks is your debut album. Did you feel like you needed to portray yourself in a certain way in the lyrics?

On a personal level, definitely not. I will rake myself across the coals in my songs. I will look at my flaws and my insecurities under the harshest of light; it’s how I process and grow.

Of course we thought about overall cohesion for the album. People will always ask you: “What kind of music do you make?” And I just want to shout back “I DONT KNOW.. GREAT MUSIC!?” So when we were selecting the songs for the record, as a group we decided our music is eclectic and we should celebrate that. Our band is not one of those bands where all of our songs sound the same. One song will be metal-adjacent, while another will be adult contemporary. We trust our fans will follow along.

Q: If someone were only going to listen to one song on the record to understand who you are as an artist, which one would it be?

I love the whole album! You’re essentially asking me to choose my favorite child but I think “Zachary” is the song that will help you hear the heart and soul of this band. It’s a deeply personal song and as discussed above, it took the longest for me to write. Plus “Zachary” was arranged by the group as a whole. As we created that arrangement together, Jared, Sean and Meghan became my musical family. They are SO good at what they do and the thoughtfulness of their playing is unparalleled. Sean’s soulful bass line, Meghan’s creative translation of my piano part into a guitar line, Jared’s restrained and evocative drum part in the bridge and Meghan’s wife, Caty’s cello feature… it makes me teary just thinking of it. We now arrange all of our songs collectively and it’s truly my favorite thing to witness and be a part of….

Ok, Shouldn’t I Be Older if a very close second! So if you want to rock out rather than cry (or rock out while crying), Shouldn’t I Be Older is the track!

Q: What’s next for you? Do you see your next record building on these themes, or are you anxious to do something else?

This is just the beginning for the Wildfire. I want this project to hit the road touring with songs that really reach people. Meghan and I have been writing together. I’ve been writing new songs on my own too. We hope to see you at a live show soon. Until then, listen to “Aftershocks” on vinyl or on streaming services and be a part of our journey from the beginning.