Joywave drop new single ‘Cyn City 2000’, detail fourth album ‘Cleanse’

New York indie-rockers Joywave have shared a dancey new single titled ‘Cyn City 2000’, announcing alongside it their upcoming fourth album and a sprawling North American tour.

Standing out with a buzzy, new wave-channelling synth melody and soaring lead guitars, the new track offers a distinctly energetic flair primed for the band’s live show. It hinges on a refrain clearly written to be sung along to – “I don’t wanna be cynical” – chanted repeatedly in the build-up to an eruptive solo.

Take a look at the visualiser for ‘Cyn City 2000’ below:

“Comparing yourself to others is a recipe for disaster every time,” frontman Daniel Armbruster said in a press release, addressing the themes explored on ‘Cyn City 2000’. “The pandemic allowed me to slow down and take in what we’ve been able to do over the last several years and left me feeling both grateful for the past and excited for the future.”

‘Cyn City 2000’ comes as the lead single from Joywave’s fourth album, ‘Cleanse’, announced today and set for release on February 11 via Cultco / Hollywood Records. The record also features all four tracks from their EP ‘Every Window Is A Mirror’, which landed back in June.

The album comes as a follow-up to Joywave’s 2020 album ‘Possession’, released on the precipice of the COVID-19 pandemic last March. Armbruster explained that the unsavoury timing of that album’s release led to them diving straight into ‘Cleanse’, reflecting on their tenure thus far in the wake of their touring slate being shelved.

“I was able to reflect on past travels and appreciate them in a new way,” he said. “But reminders of our fragile mortality were everywhere, punctuated by the ongoing pandemic and civil unrest. The music began to encompass all of this.

“It became the words, encouragement, and occasional cautions that I would want to share with you if this was the last time we spoke. And with all this time spent looking inward came the realization that there were still a few chips I was carrying on my shoulder that I needed to let go of.”

Following the release of ‘Cleanse’, Joywave will embark on a 29-date North American tour. The tour will kick off in Englewood on Saturday February 26, rolling on all throughout March and wrapping up in their hometown of Rochester on Friday April 8.

Meanwhile, drummer Paul Brenner revealed last week that he was recently mailed a package of live scorpions. The sticksman told US TV station WROC that he ordered a T-shirt and some shoes from an internet seller in Hawaii, and when it got to his address in Rochester, it was filled with the arachnids.

“At first I thought it was like a tick, or something. I mean, they were really small,” Brenner said. “That’s when I realised, ‘No, that’s a scorpion’. That’s when my shirt left my hands and went into the box.”

Take a look at the cover art and tracklisting for ‘Cleanse’ below:

1. ‘Pray for the Reboot’
2. ‘Buy American’
3. ‘Every Window Is a Mirror’
4. ‘Cyn City 2000’
5. ‘After Coffee’
6. ‘We Are All We Need’
7. ‘Goodbye Tommy’
8. ‘The Inversion’
9. ‘Why Would You Want to Be Young Again?’
10. ‘Have You Ever Lit a Year On Fire?’

Joywave’s 2022 North American tour dates are:

FEBRUARY
Saturday 26 – Harrisburg, Englewood

MARCH
Tuesday 1 – Cleveland, Beachland Ballroom
Wednesday 2 – Detroit, Magic Stick
Friday 4 – Chicago, Metro
Saturday 5 – Minneapolis, Fine Line
Sunday 6 – Madison, Majestic Theatre
Tuesday 8 – Kansas City, The Truman
Wednesday 9 – Denver, Bluebird Theater
Thursday 10 – Salt Lake City, Complex
Saturday 12 – Portland, Wonder Ballroom
Sunday 13 – Seattle, The Showbox
Tuesday 15 – San Francisco, The Independent
Wednesday 16 – Los Angeles, Teragram Ballroom
Friday 18 – San Diego, Observatory North Park
Saturday 19 – Mesa, Nile Theater
Monday 21 – Dallas, Trees
Tuesday 22 – Austin, Scoot Inn
Thursday 24 – Jacksonville, Jack Rabbits
Friday 25 – Orlando, The Social
Saturday 26 – Ft. Lauderdale, Culture Room
Sunday 27 – Tampa, The Orpheum
Tuesday 29 – Atlanta, Terminal West
Wednesday 30 – Nashville, Mercy Lounge

APRIL
Friday 1 – Washington, 9:30 Club
Saturday 2 – Philadelphia, Union Transfer
Sunday 3 – Buffalo, Town Ballroom
Tuesday 5 – Boston, Paradise Rock Club
Wednesday 6 – Brooklyn, Elsewhere
Friday 8 – Rochester, Anthology