Friendless is an astoundingly personal collection of 5 piano-heavy songs that drip with introspection, riding the line between bleak pessimism and desperate hope. Joynes walks listeners through fields of steady piano and ethereal soundscapes with syllabic perfect poetry and rhyming that come across as nothing but honest. Every well-paced line leads to another simple rhyme, hitting like a hammer on the anvil of my heart again, again, and again. Joynes crafts a lonesome and universal human experience, a feeling that hits at the very core of our being, our relationship with others. How we define it, how we experience it and how it ultimately defines us.
But first, who is Rob Joynes? Joynes is a Seattle-based musician who is entrenched in a variety of musical projects. From the grunge-inspired Fell Off to the indie heavy Sunnyland and noise pop stylings of Boy Problems, Joynes is no stranger to songwriting, and it is clear that Friendless takes bits and pieces from each of his projects to form a mature, enlightened, and cohesive final product.
Starting with Forgiveness, Joynes’ soothing vocals levitate over warm piano chords, striking the listener with impressions of Elliott Smith or Bon Iver. Lines like “I won’t ask you to forgive me. If I wait until tomorrow, it’s another day I’ve borrowed” are conveyed with such an effective performance I can’t help but be enthralled. As the balladesque track progresses, steady piano hits lay the foundation for an extensive and evolving sonic landscape. It sounds as if The Postal Service was constructed just a bit more of a Death Cab sound.
The drab but honest Different Person is another clear standout. Diving into the subject of loneliness, how it is something we craft both consciously and subconsciously and also the desperate yearning for change when we face our own unhappiness. Gut-punching lines like, “If I could be a different person, I would be at all” and “I’ve got lots of friends, but they don’t really know me” immediately hit home. The part that really sells this is the complete lack of melodrama. There is no corniness, no edge, just endearing honesty.
Closing out the EP is the beautiful I Think of You. A patient collage of breezy guitars and accents circle choral vocals as Joynes paints striking imagery with his lyrics. Leaving us on an optimistically melancholic end, Rob brings the themes of friendship and dissociation full circle in the truest way. There is no clear answer as this is music exploring the self and its social relationship, not trying to solve it.
To call these songs simple would be a lie by omission. There is complex, multifaceted instrumentation that elevates everything, but at their core, every song is simple, direct and deliberately constructed. This is music that makes me want to pick up my guitar and work my hardest to craft a song as inspired, effortless and impressive as these. For Joynes fans, there is no shortage of stuff to tide you over til the next release. But for me, I will be eagerly looking forward to the next Rob Joynes solo album to see where he goes next with this Singer/Songwriter project.
Written by Lando Flakes
