Wolff’s Law is a medical theory that suggests bones under a lot of pressure become denser over time. Astronauts, for example, usually return to Earth with weaker bones due to the change in gravity, while the bones in Novan Djokovic’s serving arm are probably stronger than your femur. “Oh, I get it,” you’re probably thinking, “the album’s title hints at the inner-struggles of a band dealing with pressure and hoping to live up to a wildly acclaimed debut album. And how the more pressure the group faces, the stronger they’ll become!” There ya go. “But then… why is Wolff… spelled ‘wolf’?” [pause] I have no fucking idea. And I’m just as confused about the flowery lupine cover art and the rave reviews that The Joy Formidable’s sophomore effort has attracted.
Wolf’s Law is a stalwart, impassioned work – noticeable and ironed out. Hot off The Big Roar’s success, the Welsh trio wasted little time before being launched into the spotlight, opening for The Foo Fighters and touring with British rock gods Muse. Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan has some stunning baby-blues and a set of pipes to match. She navigates the soft course paved by most shoegaze rock, upping the ante with flurries of shouts and screams when necessary (think Karen O). The Joy Formidable is a big picture band. They rarely hold themselves back, overpowering listeners with double-drums, jackhammer bar chords, and formulaic crescendos.
While they may have shown their cards a bit too early on The Big Roar, they’ve successfully avoided a sophomore slump with Wolf’s Law. Their first single, “Cholla,” is a provocative ballbuster that sounds like a grungier spin off of Tegan and Sara. Pulsing riffs and swooping cries from Bryant build a beautiful burst of sound that is only topped by the epic 9-minute “The Turnaround.” Other tracks fall short, like “Bats” and the seemingly self-aware goof jam “Maw Maw Song,” which I originally thought was called “Meow Meow Song.” Ritzy’s lyrics explore themes of pressure, loss, and a relentless optimism – something absent in their debut. As a whole, the album is common. It’s dreampop for Metric fans; shoegaze for high schoolers.
The Joy Formidable caught critics’ attention two years ago and have maintained their spot in the limelight with Wolf’s Law. Despite the trio’s monumental sound plus Bryan’s energy and vigor, Wolf’s Law comes across as pretty humdrum stuff – the atmospheric choral arrangements trite and the urgency, coerced. I shamelessly question how much of the band’s critical success has to do with the production giants they’ve worked with (Rich Costey and Andy Wallace). The Joy Formidable is a label band. They’re not a stadium rock band, no matter how much Atlantic may want them to be, and for chrissakes Pitchfork, they are not the “the heir to Muse’s grandiose arena empire.” At least I hope not.
2.5/5 bars
