Joyeria’s blend of bleakly humorous lyricism and lofi production, bolstered by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey, is a quintessential take on fatherhood, responsibility and becoming an adult.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and where you grew up?

I was born in communist Poland to parents of the Intelligentsia.  Although many stayed behind, many fled.  We fled.  Those with children would recall a time when there was nothing on the shelves of grocery stores but olive oil.  Impossible to feed your children on, so those who could find a way to leave, left.  A scene which is now familiar to everyone over the past two years, and sadly to some more than others, way more.  A window into the past and a PTSD trigger. Almost two sides of the same coin but not quite.  Having 2 children and no English language my parents found a way into Canada where we landed on Vancouver Island, a small place called Nanaimo.  Then, through a lack of economic opportunity we drove to Toronto.  The story of where I’m from begins there.  I live in London at the moment.  In some attempt to keep this pithy I’ll stop.  Who I am is not known to me.  I am nobody.    

What encouraged you to start your own band?

Nothing encouraged me to start a band.  Though the term ‘starving artist’ doesn’t get thrown around much anymore it was a great fear for those who raised me.  They saw a natural propensity of mine toward the gutter even at a young age.  It was not encouraged to be in a band or to paint or to write.  My grandfather was a writer and perhaps they knew all too well what that means.  For those around the person, and the person’s mind.  So I was encouraged toward Math, and Science.  Though music played a huge role in my childhood.  My mother’s love of classical and my father’s obsession with the pop music of his decade.  Some of which refuses to die to this day.  I started making music on my brother’s cassette player.  I would plug in headphones into the stereo to use as a microphone and have an instrumental from some hip hop single in the A deck which I talked and recorded over on the B deck.  I would find out this was called sound on sound.  This was the start of my obsession to write and record.  It was just for me and it was beautiful.  A sense of accomplishment filled my young heart despite knowing that what was recorded was commercially unrecognisable as ‘music’.  It was pure. The purity may have been my encouragement.

Can you tell us more about how you produce your music? / What was your favourite & least favourite part of making the Single “Wild Joy”?

My demos are produced by me, Joyeria has been produced by Dan Carey.  My demos are made in the fastest way possible.  This allows me spend more time writing.  So no computer.  I record everything in one take onto a 16 track reel to reel.  Because it’s just me in the studio normally there is very little mixing to do so it’s a matter of making sure it sounds ok then I send it onto the label, Dan, Pierre and Lex as well as my manager Dave.  If I don’t hear back I know it wasn’t right.  If I do hear back then the idea might have legs.  Wild Joy was decided to have legs. We recorded it in one take live at the Speedy Studio then redid the vocals (again in one take).  The studio band was Dan on bass, Ryan Greives on drums and myself.  Then once we tracked everything live, Dan and I layered a bunch of sounds on top of it, guitars, synths, reeds, strings, all led by Dan’s impeccable ears.  Recording is a joyful and immersive experience that if done correctly is spontaneous and full of expression.  Dan is a great facilitator of this as his own behaviour is not that of an all-knowing messiah but a lifelong student constantly honing the craft as a master should and does.

What music styles do you listen to?

I listen to as many styles of music as possible.  Naming musical influences seems a way to give yourself backhanded compliment, trying to tie your own name to something you wish it resembled.  I could name a few people I would trade my quote/unquote talent for any day.  But that would be obvious and perhaps boring. I love NEU, I love Hank Williams, Charles Mingus, Black Moon, Parquet Quartz, Minutemen, Jandek, Phillip Glass, Jaar, Terje and spaces that fill in the gaps between all of these.  I play Philip Glass solo piano every week.  Ask me again next week and probably get a different answer. I like music where I can hear chaos in the recording. The pushing and pulling of fighting instruments and people.  Though the song might be a recording I’m still amazed that it somehow got to the end.  That’s what I like to listen to.   

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?

I’m putting together a playlist for James Endeacott for his radio show called Morning Glory on SOHO radio on this very topic.  Built to Spill is a band that never left me.  I was into Doug’s music from when he was in Halo Benders with Calvin on K recs.  From there I found Beat Happening and Built to Spill and I still listen to Built to Spill all the time.  Doug’s voice and guitar playing is something I envy greatly.  It’s so confident and beautiful.  They have a new record coming out and I can’t wait to hear it.  They remain a favourite of mine.  Built to Spill were Daniel Johnston’s backing band on what turned out to be his last tour.  I don’t know how many shows they did together, maybe only one.  The LP of Johnston covers is amazing.  As original as Johnston himself. 

What do you love right now? 

Black Midi, The Lounge Society, John Lurie Orchestra, Frédéric Chopin, Krzysztof Komeda, James Tate poetry, Journey to the end of the night by Celine, Glasses of ice cold water (though it sometimes hurts my teeth), paintings by Adolph Gottlieb, Telescopes.

What do you hate right now? 

The global geopolitical situation coupled with the two greatest problems that face humanity, climate change and wealth disparity.  I also hate people, but that’s for another time. Perhaps a quote which says it better than I ever could “How long would the delirium of these monsters need to last for them to stop in the end, exhausted?  How long could a fit of frenzy like this go on? A few Months? A few Years? Perhaps until everyone was dead, every one of these madmen”

Are you writing new music at the moment?

This is not something that stops.  It is a constant, like time itself.  ‘Is it worth writing?’ might be the better question, to which I don’t know the answer.  Maybe I never will.

How do you deal with other people’s expectations of you?

I’m not sure there are any expectations, if there are they have not been communicated to me.  Anyway, I love obscurity.  The freedom that come with obscurity is so beautiful, a hot air balloon floating through oblivion, nobody knows what’s going on up there and nobody gives a damn.  You can do whatever you want.  I find the music industry tends to aim for uncovered targets.  It can be a little disgusting at times.  I’m lucky to be in a place where darts can be thrown in any direction.           

Where do you find comfort?

I guess feeding the obsession to write and record is comforting in a way, although it can interfere with other parts of life, friendship, family and all of that in a very negative way.  But I also know the pursuit is a selfish one so I try to stop.  But I can’t.  So you write and write until you get tired, then you go to bed and to wake up and do it all again.  Sometimes the sun gets so hot you can’t sit.  So life, or more specifically nature, offers up a distraction and you can be human, maybe for a few days, certainly a few hours.

What is it like working with Record label Speedy Wunderground?

Pure.