The one thing that I love about My Heart to Joy is their mastery of the quiet to loud dynamic; it was something that was carried out well on the last release, but Seasons in Verse shows that these guys now have it down to a relative science. I was incredibly impressed with My Heart to Joy’s last offering, the Virgin Sails 7” and was pretty eager to hear more from the band, so when Seasons in Verse arrived at my doorstep, I was ready to be even more stoked or horribly disappointed, in the unfortunate case of regression. The musical winds of change are a fickle zephyr of indecisiveness and you never know if you’ll get a warm breeze in your face or your house left in ruins.
No worries though; Seasons in Verse is just as captivating and exciting as the last installment. A track from the 7” also makes an appearance on the album. That song is “All of Life is Coming Home”; it was my favorite track on Virgin Sails and like a favorite story told by an old friend, it was a welcome and comforting addition. And it’s really no surprise that it made its way here as well; out of all the songs I’ve heard from these guys, it is their most defining…at least for me. This song perfectly showcases their penchant for creating intricate emotional punk, with angular soaring melodies and occasionally gruff lyrical deliveries. The remainder of the album surrounding this track follows suit in all the right ways.
There does seem to be a slight change of style with this record; which would be a lessening of screamy elements but a heightened focus on melody. Regardless, it doesn’t take away one ounce of energy from Seasons in Verse…if anything, it makes the heavier moments more explosive. When it’s all said and done, My Heart to Joy just excels at a brand of emotional music that so many have bastardized and failed at in the past. These guys know the true meaning of emo and know it has nothing to do with sad MySpace haircuts, The Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo sleeves and sloppy teenage heartsick ballads. This is an accomplished band getting back to the roots, and heart, of emo music. This is the album I’ve been the most excited about so far this year.
