If you're not quite familiar with the sounds of artist Joe Billy then let us be among the first two really introduce you because he just released a new album that is big enough to play through as a double album and this is because the first half of the songs our final versions of the main tracks and then the second half of the record is demos of those and more so you're getting this mess number of tracks that you can get down with throughout this whole release.
So, what kind of music is Joe Billy exactly? Well, judging off this record it is a wonderful mix of classic and high-energy punk rock that men's thrash and skate-punk with a pop Style, it also incorporates a rustic sort of folk punk and brutally honest singer-songwriter tracks as well, but it all has this passion in how it's expressed and delivered.
The reason there are so many versions of songs on this release is that it is the deluxe edition of his Fissure album and it's pulling together songs from all these different periods where it almost serves like chapters in the artist's life and he's letting you into these chapters and these stories so that you can understand his personality more.
There is a lot of honesty to soak in and a lot of inner thoughts coming out from the artist throughout the record and this is something that serves him well because it lets the songs connect with the listener because they're so real.
The punk rock songs thrash out with a mighty and sonic presence the acoustic songs ring out with a sort of sun but honest approach and you get different instrumentation including strings and rolling snares like in the first track you hear called "Here I Am, Vulnerability" which plays out feeling like a sort of punk rock folk single with rustic tones and soundscapes.
I mean, just look at the title of this track. You don't get much more honest and open than this.
This is a way for Joe Billy to let out the things that he wants to and I'm glad that he has this as an outlet so that he can feel good about releasing all this stuff.
The main tracks which are the first 9 or 10 really, are the full versions of songs that are finalized and done while everything else is demoed versions of the songs you've heard already plus other ones that aren't on this release but have been released beforehand.
So, you get some pleasant peeks into this whole chunk of who he is as a person throughout the whole record and this is one of those records where you'll want to listen to everything because if you don't you'll be missing out on some of the spectrum that it has to offer.
Joe is certainly a storyteller of sorts and has a unique way of putting himself out there but he lets it all loose with a vigor that's enticing and this is part of what makes this album so alluring.
Take a listen to this record when you can and we're going to give this an 8 out of 10 as a whole because there's so much amazing content on it, so many great songs, and so much honesty and personality given.
Remember where you heard it first.