Joy (Anonymous)

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, and recorded their second album, Cult Classics. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span. It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album: the album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way.

Joy (Anonymous) still remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York and on a trip to Copenhagen, they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time.

Collaborating with The Blessed Madonna and going B2B with Fred Again… at Alexandra Palace has given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues. With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon, they’re only going to reach higher heights.

But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.