London-based trio the Joy Formidable produced Hitch themselves in their north Wales studio. Their guitar riffs are indeed as formidable as anyone who has heard their previous two albums would expect – but there’s a deficit on the joy side of the equation. That could be because Hitch, with its blood-spattered Ralph Steadman sleeve illustration, is essentially a breakup album – the couple in question being singer Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan and guitarist Rhydian Dafydd, who glumly takes the lead vocal on The Gift (“We won’t get this gift again”). Songs such as Radio of Lips, Blowing Fire and single The Last Thing on My Mind are driving indie-rock with big choruses and a wall of guitar and drums. But the Joy Formidable are at their best when they switch off their default setting: The Brook takes some surprise twists and turns with time-signatures, while Underneath the Petal introduces acoustic guitar, piano, woodwind and strings, giving Bryan’s breathy vocals a chance to shine.
.jpg?w=600)
