The You and Me EP
JOYA are very good musicians. Unfortunately, being a good musician does not create good music. JOYA prove this on their debut EP. Despite obviously being very accomplished on their instruments, upon listening to this EP, you will get that nagging feeling when you know you've heard this many times before - you just can't put your finger on who it was, or when, or where. Of course, you haven't listened to it before, but this EP creates such tedium that you'll probably never listen to it again.
If you manage to listen to it all the way through, you will be subjected to a variety of songs from all displaying similarly melancholic vocals, classical guitar hooks, and subtle drum beats. Each song combines slow, dull verses, with faster, catchy choruses, yet only the piano is enjoyable to listen to. Final song 'Do Something Good' seems to drag on forever - after only a minute and a half, it feels like the end of the song and the end of the EP. Then the music thickens out more and you begin to lose all hope that the song will ever end. This goes on for over five minutes.
Despite the tedium of their music, JOYA must receive credit for successfully creating the type of music you usually find yourself listening to in dentists' waiting rooms. Though maybe not the type of association you'd like, JOYA are pleasant enough to listen to, though maybe not by choice. They play their instruments well and the singer does have a unique voice that will perhaps keep you listening to the end of the EP, and never to be listened to again.