This Wednesday just got a lot better because One Armed Joey just dropped a new music video.
The Sonoma County pop-punk trio is prepping the release of their debut album titled Happiness, To Me and their new single”Mirrors” is another shining example of what’s to come. Taking their cues from acts such as MXPX, Allister, and Green Day,
One Armed Joey offer up a refreshing take on late 90’s and early aughts pop-punk that has won them four Bohemian NorBay Music Awards for Best Punk Band. “Mirrors” asks the listener “what comes next?” and the band put together a music video for the track that is streaming now at Bearded Gentlemen Music. Along with the video, there is a lengthy interview that digs into the new album and the band. Happiness, To Me is a roll the windows down, sing-along with your friend’s kind of album that is perfect in a summer setting that comes out on Friday, May 27th. Physical preorders are available now from Sell the Heart Records. “Mirrors” will be available on all digital platforms on Friday, April 22nd.
Tucked away just north of the Bay Area’s iconic punk scene is Sonoma County, where bands like Bracket, Tsunami Bomb, and many others blossomed in the 1990s. Arriving late to the party is One Armed Joey, who have been promoting the once-forgotten melodic punk of the area since 2014. Since then, the trio has played all over the state, self-released two EPs, won four Bohemian NorBay Music Awards for Best Punk Band, and have now recorded their first full-length album, Happiness, To Me, coming May 27th 2022 on Sell the Heart Records.
Album Credits:
Avery Okamura: Vocals, Guitar
Kevin Worden: Vocals, Bass
James Allen: Drums, Vocals
“Happiness, To Me is an album about finding joy in the inner-struggles that we face every day, and realizing that you can’t relate your own sense of well-being to anybody else. For us, we took our problems and anxieties and turned that into music, creating happiness out of turmoil. If we’re having a bad day, getting in a room and playing music together gives us the opportunity to reflect and say ‘Hey, today sucked, but we love playing these songs together, and that’s awesome.’”
The debut single, “Numbstruck”, pummels the listener with hard-hitting rhythms, driving counterpoint between guitar and bass, and an inner-battle between the selfless heart and the selfish mind (“Blinded by disbelief and selfishness; where’s my selflessness?”). The song describes a feeling of apathy brought on by an overabundance of negativity, and longing for grief over detachment (“I’m quite numb to disdain, though I prefer the rain”). Splitting up verses and choruses with melancholic and angular instrumentals gives the listener moments to catch a glimpse into the narrator’s conflicting emotions, all without missing a beat.