You know what’s tight? Brother Speedo, the new EP from Tampa indie-pop band Hello Joyce, which landed its last record (Couch Thoughts) on CL’s Best Local Albums list last year.
Brother Speedo track “Lightspeed,” leads listeners through three-and-a-half minutes of trippy retro rock that sounds a little like the way The Beatles might’ve if they’d grown up in the Instagram age, but the band's sound on Speedo dips into many different genres.
BEST LOCAL ALBUMS 2017
Hello Joyce shimmers quite nicely on Couch Thoughts
"We wanted more lyrics, different sounds, more experimentation with different genres. There are definitely newer instruments and sounds present on it," they told CL. The songwriting process finds guitarists Cameron Grant and Kyle D Muti turning ideas into more concrete ideas and melodies before lyrics are added to the to the scratch demo.
"'Lightspeed' and our EP's overall rundown is based on stories and lifestyles of people we know," the band told CL. "Their fears, problems, and philosophies all wrap up into the concept of Brother Speedo.
Press play below, and head to the record shop after that for this release show alongside psychedelic St. Pete soul-rock band Deadborns and Tampa songwriter Charles Irwin.
Hello Joyce EP Release w/Deadborns/Charles Irwin. Sat. Aug. 4, 7 p.m. $7. Microgroove, 4906 N. Florida Ave., Tampa. facebook.com/microgroovetampa.
See even more of the Tampa Bay live music lineup by visiting cltampa.com/musicweek every Thursday morning.
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2018.