Song Review: Lovejoy’s ‘Pay & Display’
“No-one owns anything anymore. You just rent it. Rent your music, rent your house, rent your coffee, rent your place in heaven. I guess I'm excited for my subscription-service afterlife,” vocalist Will Gold said of Lovejoy’s newest single, ‘Pay & Display,’ released on August 22nd, when discussing its meaning: “I heard that Heaven's got a pay and display / The blessed always get their way / On a subscription basis selling salvation / And just last week, I took the pills they sold to me / And I've been tithing up my sleep / Oh I'm your creation, buy me salvation.”
And while, indeed, it is refreshing to understand an artist’s perspective when writing a track, ‘Pay & Display’ feels like a track that calls for more to be unpacked. The second single off the band’s upcoming record, One Simple Trick, out on October 3rd, ties in with the first single, ‘With Rob As My Witness,’ with the same moodiness and the same lyrical passivity, yet despite that feeling of apathy, the newest singles feel urgent, important, that Lovejoy are communicating all that lays behind the eyes. While the tone of the track is difficult to describe, there’s importance in the way the band tie old aspects of themselves like the lo-fi tones of Gold’s vocals and sing-song choruses, with new ones like their refined recording style and tightness and cohesiveness – welcoming a sonic future that both basks in what made Lovejoy to begin with, and all that they will become.
Lovejoy’s sentiments are emboldened by a driving, jangly riff that echoes throughout the introduction and chorus before it veers off into small tangents that sparkle and glow, showcasing Lovejoy’s ability to match the lyrical sentiments to the instrumental execution. Even with the lead guitar driving the melody of the track, the rhythm guitar peaks through in the verses, filling the song with whimsical flurries of unexpected tones. A mini bass solo at the end of the track punctuates the intensity of the instrumentals that were meticulously laid by the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar throughout its entirety, unwavering throughout dynamic shifts as the sound builds and crashes, with the small variations echoing in a way that just embodies everything that Lovejoy works towards – artisanship. And that’s all that an artist wants to be – despite the 21st century’s obsession with subscription services – recognised for their craft.
You can stream Lovejoy’s new single, ‘Pay & Display’ here.
In the meantime, you can keep up with Lovejoy on Instagram, TikTok, their official fan Subreddit, their YouTube, and their vlog channel.