Spectreview: Rob Joynes – Sophomore Alley

Rob Joynes’ Sophomore Alley is just three songs, but each one is a powerful demonstration of his murky, emotive songwriting.

Released: June 26, 2022

Rock
(Singer-Songwriter)
(Alternative)
(Emo)

-RED-

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I can’t tell you specifically how many Rob Joynes (né Paulson) shows I’ve been to, but I know it takes more than one hand to count them. The guy has been a Seattle underground mainstay for as long as I can personally remember, floating from the undersung Creech to the great Retirement to his current eponymous act with his murky emotiveness intact.

Though it usually takes more than a little time, it’s always good to hear new recordings from him, and Sophomore Alley doesn’t disappoint. The three-song EP – performed in part by collaborators familiar to his projects, including Joynes’ brother and life partner – encapsulates everything you’d expect from his music: measured tempos paced out by piano, brooding guitars, and Joynes’ signature deadened baritone. The simplicity of the melodies and the easiness of their execution undercut the strength of their construction. These are songs sharpened to fine points, all extraneous bits excised for maximum potency.

It’s only three songs, so there’s also no room for filler. The strongest cut here might be “Box Me Out,” its gorgeous layered guitars and misty atmosphere saturated with yearning. But “Died For Love,” with its snake-like lead and moody undercurrent of distortion, is also stellar. Same goes for “Half Broke,” which slots Joynes’ simple regrets between the coiling melodies and twin harmonies from its guitars. While it’s over in a flash, not a moment goes by that doesn’t feel honed, and that makes the material here all the more valuable.

Recommended for fog and cliffs.