VANCE JOY - IN OUR OWN SWEET TIME
Vance Joy releases his third studio album In Our Own Sweet Time - a piece that feels perfectly crafted for summer nights.
Vance Joy who iconically introduced us to a fear of dentists and the dark with his globally successful single ‘Riptide’ and ARIA song of the year nominee ‘Lay It On Me’, has released his pandemic creation In Our Own Sweet Time. It’s a 12-track album that embodies the endearing musical qualities Vance Joy has become known for, from start to finish it is full of catchy melodies and anthemic choruses.
In Our Own Sweet Time is strictly true to the Melbourne-born artists genre, Indie-Folk. It’s not groundbreaking by any means or unlike anything we have heard from him before but as it goes, If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Vance Joy has solidified himself with fans of the genre and gained critical acclamation for it, this album only further solidifies his place.
Despite the fact it was released during Australia’s winter, the album aptly comes at the sweet time for anyone experiencing the British summer (summer being used very loosely) as it feels like summer embodied. From the perspective of a Scottish person, I feel as though mainstream media we have a vision of days spent in the Californian sun alongside the palm trees and thoughtful summer nights Australia’s Bondi Beach and In Our Own Sweet Time feels like the perfect soundtrack for it. The imagery built up through the lyrics and even in the titles, (‘Boardwalk’, ‘Wavelength’ and ‘Daylight’) creates scenery and a storyline in the listeners mind, making it feel like a fully cohesive project allowing for immediate escapism.
This feeling coincides with Vance Joy’s intentions for the album, predominately written during the pandemic, discussing the title he explained “I’m always drawn to the idea of timelessness or that shared moment that takes you out of the chaos outside. If the world is crazy, you can retreat somewhere. It’s always hard to think of the right title but I think that sums up the album perfectly.”
Despite the weightless feeling to the tracks, there is a feeling of desperation in the lyrics. It begins with ‘Don’t Fade’, a track which details preserving a moment and all the true feeling that comes with it, “Not a single thing needs to change / We can be the light that don't fade away.” This storyline continues into 10th track ‘Looking At Me Like That’, “I pull you close 'cause the day can wait / I lay and I'm hoping we're too bright to fade.” There’s a deeply romantic feeling that runs like a line throughout the entire album, each track has a mention to time with a love interest whilst the protagonist feels as though they might be slipping through their fingers, desperate to cling to all they can get.
Despite being 12 tracks long, none of the tracks feel skippable. They are all thoughtful additions to the cohesive image, that being said highlights include ‘Boardwalk’, ‘Catalonia’ and ‘Looking at me like that.’
Vance Joy has successfully done what he set out to do, capture a timeless moment and that is what In Our Own Sweet Time is.
Taylor Duffy
★★★★☆