Next up in my series on obscure new(ish) bands that have recently come to my attention one way or another is The Joy Formidable, a British trio that released their second album in January.
They are often described as having a “large” sound (“gargantuan” is the adjective of choice for AllMusic), which reminds me of the line in Spinal Tap when they are described as “one of England’s loudest bands.”
Based on ‘This Ladder is Ours,’ it seems the critics don’t mean that in the Spinal Tap sense but more in the U2 or Coldplay sense. Bold, ambitious, wall of guitars, some strings thrown in for good measure.
I’m not a fan of that sound in and of itself — the songwriting has to be strong to support it. This track doesn’t quite pull that off. Again, I don’t want to judge a band (good or bad) based on one song, but ‘This Ladder is Ours’ doesn’t have me seeking out the next one.
And let this loathe crawl over you finally
Let’s take this walk, it’s overdue
Let’s sit and talk and slow things down
Just be our old selves again finally
Let’s take this walk
Let’s take a walk to somewhere pretty
This ladder is ours
This ladder is ours
We can be anybody else
Hold on to the fringe
Jump through from the past
This ladder is ours
This ladder is ours
This is where everybody turns
Out right in the end
Can you play a part?
See us walking through the sunshine
Ask me where I’ve been
Back to Ire
Back to desire
This is where it all begins
This ladder is ours
This ladder is ours
We can be anybody else
Hold on to the fringe
Jump through from the past
This ladder is ours
This ladder is ours
This is where everybody turns
Out right in the end
Can you play that part?
This ladder is ours
This ladder is ours
Meet Me In Montauk 
Yeah, it’s too heavy for my personal taste, though she seems to be a strong vocalist.