Joywave is an American indie rock band from Rochester, New York, formed in 2010. Their lineup consists of Daniel Armbruster (vocals), Joseph Morinelli (guitar), and Paul Brenner (drums).[1] The band first became known for its collaboration with electronic music project Big Data, "Dangerous", which peaked at number two on the BillboardRock & Alternative Airplay chart in 2014.[2] After releasing two EPs, their debut album, How Do You Feel Now?, was released through their own Cultco Music label, an imprint of Hollywood Records, in 2015. Their second album, Content, was released on July 28, 2017. It was followed by their third album, Possession, which was released on March 13, 2020. Their fourth album, Cleanse, was released on February 11, 2022. Their fifth album, Permanent Pleasure, released on May 17, 2024.[3]
The members of Joywave all grew up in Rochester, New York.[4][5] Armbruster, Brenner, and Morinelli played together in various local bands growing up, including The Hoodies.[6][4] Joywave was officially formed in 2010.[6][7] Donnelly joined the band soon after, and they released their first mixtape, 77777, in 2011.[7] In 2012, they released their first EP, Koda Vista.[4] In 2013, they released their second mixtape, 88888.[8]
"Dangerous" and How Do You Feel Now? (2014–2016)[edit]
Originally a member of Big Data with Alan Wilkis, Armbruster wrote the song "Dangerous", which was recorded by Wilkis with Armbruster on vocals, and credited to Big Data featuring Joywave.[9] Following the success of "Dangerous", Joywave's notability continued to rise with the release of their 2014 EP How Do You Feel? The two singles from the EP, "Tongues" (ft. KOPPS) and "Somebody New", achieved considerable popularity on the radio and on YouTube, with the respective music videos each having over 1.8 million views on YouTube as of June 2017.[10][11][12][13] "Tongues" was featured on a Google Nexus commercial and in EA Sports football game, FIFA 15,[4] and the music video for the song was directed by the directing duo Daniels.[14]
In April 2017, they released "Content",[18] the first single off their upcoming second album, also titled Content.[19] In May 2017, they released the album's second single, "It's a Trip!".[19] Three other singles were released in the months that followed: "Shutdown," "Doubt," and "Going to a Place." Content was released on July 28, 2017.[20] On June 1, 2018, the band released the song "Compromise", an unreleased song from the How Do You Feel Now? era.[21]
On July 12, 2018, the band released the single "Blastoffff".[22] It appears in the Fortnite Season 5 trailer.[23] On June 21, 2019 the single "Like a Kennedy" was released alongside a teaser for the music video.[citation needed] On August 9, 2019, the band released the single "Obsession", in advance of their third album.[24] On November 1, 2019, they released the single "Blank Slate". On January 7, 2020, the band released the song "Half Your Age" and revealed that their third album, Possession, would be released on March 13. They also announced dates for a North American headlining tour, which was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]
The single "After Coffee" was released March 19, 2021, followed by the single "Every Window Is A Mirror" on May 7, 2021, in advance of their upcoming EP also titled Every Window Is A Mirror. The EP was released on June 25, 2021, and included the previous two singles plus two new songs: "Pray For The Reboot" and "The Inversion".[25] Joywave also released a Russian version of Every Window Is a Mirror when they noticed an uptick in streams coming from Russia.[citation needed]
After the EP went live, Joywave started a Q&A series called "Every Question Has an Answer".
On October 29, 2021, the band released the single "Cyn City 2000" and announced the release date of their fourth album, Cleanse, as well as a headlining tour. A fourth single "Buy American" was released January 14, 2022. The album was released on February 11, 2022.[25]
On June 24, 2022, the band announced a live album titled Live. While the band toured the US, they recorded multiple shows and compiled it all into an album. The album was released on July 29, 2022.[26]
On February 16, 2024, they released the single "Brain Damage".[27] On March 22, 2024, they released the single "Scared", and announced that their upcoming album Permanent Pleasure is scheduled for release on May 17, 2024.[28]
In October 2021, the band announced The Cleanse Tour, which began in Harrisburg, PA on February 26, 2022.[41] In the fall of 2022, Joywave coheadlined The Welcome to Hellvetica Tour with I Dont Know How But They Found Me.[42] In August 2022, Joywave announced a UK and EU tour, which began in Dublin, Ireland on November 1, 2022.[43] In December of 2022, they announced another tour of the United States called Express Wash, which took place in March and April 2023.[44]
