Amber Grace Joyner has spent the last few years honing her skills as a harmony vocalist for local groups like Brave Baby and Elim Bolt, but on May 13, she came into her own with the release of Young Fools—her first solo EP. For the project on local indie label Hearts & Plugs, she goes by her middle name of Grace, in part “because I have always loved the meaning of the word,” she says. “Remembering to give grace to myself and others has helped me get through some of the harder things I have experienced in life.”
Recorded with and produced by Wolfgang Zimmerman, this music is distinctly Joyner. It has a modern feel—full of synthesizers and distorted drums—but the depth of her lyrics and the sonorous elegance of her voice transcend the ubiquitous but forgettable pop paradigm of today’s top 40. One hears elements of Lorde, Feist, Jeff Buckley, and even Radiohead.
Pick up a copy of Young Fools at Monster Music, gracejoyner.bandcamp.com, or on iTunes, then catch Joyner on June 28 at the Hearts & Plugs Records Summer Shindig (see page 44 for details) before she spends the rest of the season on a regional tour.
