Acclaimed alt pop duo joan today have released their highly anticipated debut album superglue, which is over three years in the making. The full length album is shared with accompanying visuals for the title track. The album follows their beloved EPs portra, cloudy, hi and bye. superglue is an existential journey influenced by the duo’s recent transition into fatherhood.
The duo also have a 20 date nationwide U.S. headlining tour beginning May 13th, to support their album and have just added a special global Roblox listening party on April 21st, 22nd and 23rd where users can participate in fun and interactive activities together with their friends while listening to superglue in unique community based experiences. joan is set to pop into these experiences all weekend (as their avatars) and hold exclusive live Q+A for fans.
With their album superglue, the duo have shared their most personal music to date. Life shaped the subject mater like never before and joan have crafted an undeniably cathartic, candid and expansive indie pop album. “We naturally felt comfortable in the world of love songs,” says Steven. “This time, we were like, ‘Let’s get more personal’. We both had babies in the past year. We’ve grown more than we have in a long time. It’s so cool watching your baby crawl for the first time and see the world. It organically informed the writing. The whole body of work is so personal—like we’re giving a piece of ourselves to listeners. It’s by far the most special thing we’ve done.”
Highlights include the highly emotive and nostalgic single “flowers”, which discusses how time is fleeting and how people grow and change. Paired with wistful acoustic guitar riffs under cinematic synths and heartfelt melodies, “flowers” is a reflective and important musical release. While on “loner” the duo capture the autobiographical feeling of being an outsider and the internal struggle of imposter syndrome. Featuring a hypnotic hook and fervent pop rock soundscapes, “loner” is an intoxicating listen.
“nervous” takes listeners back to their own memories on the school yard experiencing their first crush. This kind of infatuation stirs a myriad of intense emotions and with “nervous”, joan brilliantly depicts that thrilling yet unsettling feeling of intoxication. The single entices with honey-dipped vocals over a unique kaleidoscope of sounds including beatboxing, clapping and lush acoustics.
The title track “superglue” speaks to their fatherly bond with one of the most powerful, poignant, and poetic moments on the record. “As new dads, we were like, ‘What if we wrote this about our girls?’,” recalls Alan. “We want them to know we’re superglue for them. We’re the guys you can run to when you’re sad or you want to rejoice because something happy happened at school. If you’re not a parent, it can be about someone you really care about. We’re singing it to our little girls though.”
In the end, joan elicit a reaction through simply being joan. “I’d love for our name to be synonymous with our sound,” Alan leaves off. “We hope you hear this album and go, ‘That’s the best first joan record they could’ve possibly mustered up’. At the same time, I hope it encourages you to ask questions and know it’s okay not have an answer to everything. The human experience is very nuanced. It’s not all black-and-white; it’s okay to live in the gray. We’ve found joy and peace in there. Maybe our music gives you a little bit of joy in the middle of chaos.”
“I truly believe superglue has something for everyone,” Steven concludes. “Hopefully, everybody in the entire world can hear it…not a hard task,” he laughs.
watch the video for superglue here
superglue tracklist
life death & everything between simple
loner nervous
backseat driving coffee shop
don’t wanna be your friend monsters
hi
feeling like dancing falling in love flowers
superglue
Listen here
The Little Rock, Arkansas based twosome is known for creating expansive pop music from inside their bedrooms in deepest Middle America. Their infectious blend of pop eras, DIY, self-sustaining aesthetic and deep connection with their fanbase has resulted in international success with over 150 million streams and sold out shows across the globe including headlining 15,000+ capacity venues in Asia.
joan (Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford) have spent the past few years building their world, single by single, tour date by tour date; from their debut EP, 2019’s portra, to the much-loved cloudy & its sister EP partly cloudy, to 2021’s hi & bye EPs. Their songs have been streamed over 150 million times, with well over a million listeners a month across streaming platforms.
joan have enjoyed U.S. and international tours supporting the likes of Jeremy Zucker, COIN, Bloc Party and The Aces, as well as playing to fans across Asia with headline shows and festivals in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong – they return to Asia for the biggest shows yet, includes dates at a basketball arena and a theme park.
joan’s infectious blend of pop eras & styles belies their roots in Little Rock, Arkansas, but their sense of warmth and community from those around them at home gives their music a sense of belonging often missing from others’ and that extends to their fanbase, with whom they interact via a successful Patreon page and through free meet & greets at every show.
2023 promises to be the band’s biggest yet, with the release of their debut album and worldwide touring & festivals.
joan tour dates
May 13 – The Masquerade (Hell Stage): Atlanta, GA May 14 – The Basement East: Nashville, TN
May 16 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY May 17: The Lounge @ World Cafe: Philadelphia, PA May 19 – The Black Cat: Washington DC
May 20 – The Sinclair: Boston, MA
May 23 – The Velvet Underground, Toronto, ON May 25 – Subterranean: Chicago, IL
May 31 – Parish: Austin, TX June 1 – Club Dada: Dallas, TX June 3 – Valley Bar: Phoenix, AZ
June 4 – Voodoo Room @ HOB: San Diego, CA June 6 – Constellation Room: Santa Ana, CA June 7 – Teragram Ballroom: Los Angeles, CA
June 8 – Popscene @ Rickshaw Shop: San Fransisco, CA June 10 – Polaris Hall: Portland, OR
June 11 – Barboza: Seattle, WA June 13 – Soundwell: Salt Lake City, UT June 14 – Larimer Lounge: Denver, CO
June 15 – Resonant Head, Oklahoma City, OK June 16 – Little Rock Music Hall: Little Rock, AR
