Less than two weeks ago, Post Malone released his fifth studio album, AUSTIN. Surprising to me, just a week later, he released AUSTIN (Bonus). This “bonus” version of the album features all 17 tracks from the previous release, plus a brand new track entitled, “Joy.” While I have yet to listen to AUSTIN, my search for new music led me to this song and within the first few seconds, Posty earned my attention. 

“Joy” offers an interesting contrast between the instrumental and the lyrical content. Such a dynamic turns a catchy tune into a song with some emotional depth that’s worth exploring. On “Joy,” Post Malone is rather pessimistic about happiness. The seemingly gleeful song describes the eternal pursuit of happiness and the futility of doing so. Joy is personified as a lover that is forever out of reach. The speaker is stuck in a loop of one step forward, two steps back. The sentiment of wasted effort is captured in the pre-chorus,“The harder I try, the more I become miserable.” Joy is someone that cannot be attained, therefore, all he is left with is remorse and misery. For a song titled, “Joy” the most commonly used word in the track is, “miserable” (14 times).  

Sonically, “Joy” has a lot to offer. It’s a really nice blend of Pop and Rock. The instrumentation present in the track is a gripping divergence from Post Malone’s more popular, Trap and Hip-Hop infused hits. Vocally, Post Malone hasn’t stopped evolving. There’s a tenderness in his delivery. Though the vocal mix is quite spacey and atmospheric with its heavy reverb and delay, his voice is well-textured and detailed. The song is saturated by Posty’s signature vibrato. The very same vibrato that (although he didn’t invent it) has become so synonymous with Post Malone that nearly anytime a contemporary artist does it, they are instantly compared to him. That just goes to show how damn well he does it. The hook features luscious falsettos that become angelic in the context of its spacey mixing. Speaking of mixing, Post’s vocals share the spotlight well with the wonderful production from watt and Louis Bell. The levels between the two are extremely well balanced. Following a psychedelic instrumental break that allows both the listener and the speaker a moment to reflect and contemplate, a heavenly choir joins the final hook. Though they are packed further back in the mix on that final hook, the choir is given absolute spotlight as they close out the track. Carried by an a cappella of wistful hymns and a melodic repetition of the word “miserable,” the final minute of the track somehow feels like both an ascendance and descendance. On one hand, the vocals feel like an upwards stairway, due to their heavenly fashion. On the other hand, they feel like a gorgeous way to bring a lushful song down to its least common denominator, before it fades out forever. 

Post Malone’s “Joy” is a delightfully sweet, melancholic expression of futility, wrapped up in a radio friendly pop song. Though I have yet to listen to AUSTIN, I felt quite compelled to offer my thoughts on this song. I look forward to seeing how my perspective might differ once I listen to it in the context of the larger body of work. Though it is a bonus track, it actually feels like a wonderful way to close out an album, thanks to the beautiful choir driven outro. I don’t miss the era of constant deluxe albums with bonus tracks that completely ruin the final legs of perfectly concluded albums. “Joy” feels like a wonderful compromise between the two. Anyways, if you are feeling down and need a little light in your life, give this track a listen and don’t read into the lyrics too deeply! The music and melodies will brighten your day but the lyrics will make you question if happiness is truly attainable. Good luck. 

Author: Jordan

Jordan Wisniewski is a passionate writer and Hip-Hop artist from North Carolina, US.