Tears of Joy Turn Collapse Into Momentum

On All My Friends in Heaven, the Tacoma hardcore band sounds like it is venting and detonating, with every short, savage song aimed with purpose

Tears of Joy’s arc from the 2023 self-titled EP to All My Friends in Heaven feels like a leap and a tightening of the screws. The newer record, released August 8, 2024, runs seven songs and just over twelve minutes, and that compression is part of its force. Recorded at Helvete Sound in Portland and mixed by Joe Anderson, it sounds raw and furious.

“Epiphany” and “Nights Like This” hit like opening statements, but the album’s real sting is the way it keeps finding new angles on betrayal, dread, and self-erasure without stretching past the breaking point. “Your Funeral” and “As the Meadow Weeps” slow the pulse just enough to make the atmosphere feel heavier, while “Ledge” and “Peeling Paint” turn that pressure into something almost unbearable. I hear a band that understands the discipline of hardcore. The riffs are lean, the vocals sound lived-in, and the production leaves enough air for the songs to feel physical. Compared with the EP, this feels more more devastating, and more certain of its own emotional weight.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out tears of joy on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist