jess joy is a magnificent creature to have in your biome, part friendly space visitor, part swamp witch, and part stage panther on the scent of something new. joy (formerly of the band Moon Honey) is a multimedia artist and performer based in New Orleans. Moon Honey toured the country, were lauded by the New York Times - “whirlwind virtuosity” - and NPR - “one of those voices cults form around”, played on KEXP, worked with producers John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney) and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), and went out with a bang.
In 2021, joy transitioned to solo artistry with her debut album PATREEARCHY,
released by Joyful Noise Recordings and likened to the well loved, polarizing sound of the band Sparks by Bob Boilen on NPR All Songs Considered. SOURCEHEIRESS, her sophomore album and first full-length visual album, is a work of “maximal pop” created in collaboration with producer Mike Byrne (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), but that genre description is but the lightning bug’s shell trying to hold in a radiant glow. Think Animal Collective and Björk if you must, but also think of a transistor radio falling through a dream vortex. Think the Aurora borealis or the appearance of a whale’s tale in a calm sea. Jess is a fairy, an explosion, a figment. A model for how to live in this curious universe.