Joyer - On the Other End of the Line... Joyer

For Joyer, the east coast indie rock duo of brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan, distance has been a strange throughline as of late—distance from home, distance from each other, distance from a stable routine. Their latest LP, On the Other End of the Line…, ruminates on how stints in far-reaching places have affected them, uncovering anxieties and a burning desire for connection. But ultimately, it’s a hopeful reflection of two distinct perspectives on fluctuating backdrops and the pressures of creativity, filtered through hook-y earnestness and crunchy six-string bluster.

Since their previous full-length, Night Songs, arrived in 2024, both Nick and Shane relocated to different cities—Nick from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, and Shane from Boston to Brooklyn—and were tasked with settling into new versions of themselves. Along with Joyer’s increasingly hectic tour schedule, traveling across the country with Horse Jumper of Love, Wishy, and villagerrr, to name a few, the brothers were seeking healthier approaches to on-the-road life and home life and grappling with loneliness in a new city. Despite the ups and downs, being on tour was life-affirming for Joyer—they met kindred spirits and grew closer as a band, and it sparked a desire for new material.

Eager to push the pop melodicism of Night Songs even further, Joyer began writing a new album, and they booked eight days in a Chicago studio with Slow Pulp’s Henry Stoehr, who encouraged a more exploratory recording process, reminiscent of Joyer’s pre-live-band days, spent making demos in their mom’s basement, sans deadlines. Dialing back their shoegaze leanings in favor of folkier touches and less conventional, more ambitious arrangements, On the Other End of the Line… is Joyer at their most vulnerable, leaning less on imagery and abstractions and cracking the door to their bursting insides.