Bren Joy
Editor’s note: This story was originally a preview of a March 26 show that has been postponed indefinitely.
Last year, onetime Nashvillian singer-songwriter Bren Joy broke a long silence with a flood of new music. Following a series of singles that spanned 2024, in February of this year he released his debut full-length Sunset Black. It’s the follow-up to 2021’s Twenties (Deluxe), itself an expanded version of the show-stopping 2019 EP with which he introduced himself. Fusing elements that run the gamut from R&B and postwar vocal pop to country, folk and beyond, the album captures Joy’s bold interpretation of the beauty in imperfection while embracing the messy, unpredictable nature of life in your 20s.
“I think the biggest risk was taking a three-year hiatus and then coming back,” Joy tells the Scene. “I want people to hear why it took three years.”
Joy parted ways with the label that released Twenties and went on a journey of self-discovery that led him to reevaluate his music’s purpose for himself and his fans. Every song on Sunset Black stems from a lesson learned during his time away, giving the album a raw, diaristic authenticity. The record delivers Joy’s vulnerable storytelling with an experimental sonic palette, weaving together unexpected genre influences, raw vocal takes and unconventional song structures.
“I spent a long time trying to make music that I thought was cool, instead of realizing that me and my friends are cool in ourselves,” says Joy.
Love is the central theme of the album, though he is quick to point out that it’s not just about romance: “Love is the goal, and the death of our generation,” he says. He spends the album exploring the many layers that make up love — self-love, heartbreak and more — and the ways it has impacted his life.
While his early work leaned heavily on pianos and gospel music, guitars are prominent on Sunset Black. Smooth, jazz-inflected R&B riffs inspired by the likes of Beyoncé and Jazmine Sullivan stand tall next to the twang of country influences like Chris Stapleton and Patsy Montana.
“Bloodonthetimbs” blends warm, bluesy guitars with intricate melodies and head-nodding sampling, and “Wandering” follows with a jazz-schooled palate cleanser that brings to mind legends like Sarah Vaughan. The album moves seamlessly from the amapiano rhythms of “No Fear/Horse” through the sleek, synth-driven sound of “Couture” to the folk-pop-kissed “Never Wanna Let You Go,” painting a picture of Joy’s evolution.
Bren Joy
Raised in Nashville, the Belmont University alum left for Los Angeles several years back to expand his sound. “You have to be willing to leave and come back,” says Joy. “You can’t want things from a place that it can’t really teach you. I think that’s not a disrespect thing — it’s just a life thing.”
Still, the lyrical brilliance Music City is known for shines through in songs like “El Dorado.” Singing, “Both my eyes are aimed towards you / All that I am is saved for you,” he explores the idea of chasing a dream only to realize the real treasure is right beside him.
In opener “Blue Jay,” he considers the difference between selfishness and self-respect. Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald’s early work, the song emerged from conversations Joy had with friends who kept putting their all into relationships with people who weren’t willing to grow. “I got so frustrated watching that happen,” he explains. “I wouldn’t have learned that unless I wrote that song.”
The album closes with “Fangs,” which highlights Joy’s gospel roots through layered vocals and complex harmonies. Let it keep rolling when the final note fades out, though: As a final nod to his past, Joy ends the track with a hidden demo of Twenties song “Simple Obsession.”
“It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve written,” says Joy. “I just needed a little special piece from that era in here.”
More confident and self-assured than ever, Joy is embracing the unknown as the album makes its way into the world. “We’re not supposed to have things figured out,” he says. “We’re supposed to just go along with the flow and see what happens.”
