photo by Sydney Haliburton
With distant, reverberating chords and percussion reminiscent of water droplets plopping heavy down to the earth, Mia Joy entrances listeners into a state of rapt attention on her latest single “Freak”. The accompanying music video is a sepia-colored cartoon illustrating Joy’s lyrics — starting off with the line that proved to be the inspiration behind the track, “I’m not a freak on a leash / cause you burn me to set me free”. While Joy’s powerful serenity is a far cry from Korn, she was drawn to the imagery of a freak on a leash — being bound to someone even through their toxicity and becoming a “freak” as a result of that.
With all the beauty in the track, there is a jaggedness to it as well. We see it in the disintegrating, jumpy, wiry illustrations. We hear it in the pain behind her voice. There is resolution for this pain, though. This toxicity is something Joy can escape.
While Joy has been likened to Kate Bush and Lomelda, her songwriting reminds me of a less self-indulgent, but equally devastating Damien Rice with a few winks and nods thrown in for those who care to look for them.
Upon first blush, “Freak” might seem like somewhat of an unassuming song, but Joy proves tenfold that something “unassuming” can be succinctly beautiful as it strikes you straight to your core. Joy wastes no words, music, or breath on anything superfluous, and “Freak” is the better for it. Even with its triumph, it leaves you feeling slightly haunted afterwards with her words and their piercing softness swirling around your brain.
Mia Joy’s debut record ‘Spirit Tamer’ is out May 7th via Fire Talk Records