Nine Songs: Mt. Joy

But it's within his band that he undertook his most significant journey yet: one that’s shaped not just his music, but his sense of self.

It’s taken three albums of deliciously expansive, boots-on-the-ground indie folk, but Mt. Joy are ready for the next step. First forming in 2016, the five-piece are set to release their fourth album, Hope We Have Fun which marks a turning point in the band's psyche. “It's been such a crazy couple of years for us as people and as a band,” Quinn explains. Since the release of their self-titled debut in 2018, they’ve delivered a concoction of sounds that have consistently brought out the twists and turns, and loving the embraces of life. Getting to this point of their journey hasn't been without its pitfalls, however.

“There are these moments where you step back and there's a lot of sacrifice that goes into that," Quinn tells me. "Everything, from the strain it puts on our families to the internal anxiety of stage fright and things like that, whatever it is, right?"

Stepping back and taking stock has been pivotal to Mt. Joy's survival beyond their burgeoning success. These lessons are what they've packed into Hope We Have Fun. The key one was questioning if they were truly ready to be all in on the project. "I hope that everything that everyone in this project has sacrificed is worth it, and I hope that it's a blast," Quinn says. "I don't want to end up regretting anything, and so far, that hasn't been the case, but I think we've reached this point of no return with this band.”

With their success building, Mt. Joy have turned their hand to what's become their most drawing aspect. A communal spirit runs throughout their catalogue, manifesting into turns on hallowed stages such as New York's Madison Square Garden, and even our very own Roundhouse in London.

"What we focus on the most is large gatherings of human beings," Quinn explains. "Fortunately for us, we're not Dua Lipa, we don't have smash-hit, pop songs as the driver of Mt. Joy. For us it’s been the grassroots thing of, ‘We're bringing our songs to people.’ That allows us to block out some of the expectations of what type of song a band that's playing in arenas make. Should they be making hit songs? Because some of these arenas we play in, Dua Lipa also plays in."

At this point I mention the Dua Lipa shirt I'm wearing beneath an over-shirt, assuming Quinn's clocked it. "Maybe I did subconsciously,” he laughs. “I love her. I think she's incredible. The comparison is to say that we find ourselves, at least in the States, playing similar rooms to her, but not feeling like we need to achieve. What I imagine is a challenge for her is trying to make smash hit songs – and she's so good at that. But we don't feel that pressure.”

This blessing is their earnest backdrop and sets the scene for the latest chapter of Mt. Joy. Much like the majority of Quinn’s Nine Songs selection, there’s something that exists because it needs to. “I do feel for the people chasing something specific in songwriting, because I think that's when it gets hard for me,” Quinn admits. “People have asked about being political and stuff like that, I find it hard to create any sort of narrative ahead of time and be chasing something super specific, rather than making music and following whatever the creative muse is in the moment.”

This is where Mt. Joy’s music has found its success. They’re making music for the masses, serving to a different portion of ears than the pop stars, but still, inducing as many people as possible to find a common thread of humanity and to share that. Music has always held this draw for Quinn. “It's important as a writer to love music first, because there's a lot of things in this industry when you become part of the business of music that can strain the thing that got you there. I think that you just love music. You love making it. You love listening to it. You love appreciating it in whatever form.”

Which leads to the throughline of his Nine Songs. Quinn explains the simple criteria for each of them. "I was trying to find nine that I felt I could sit and talk to you about, as to why I love them and why they're impactful,” he says. “But I just really love these tunes, and they've all impacted me as a human being and a writer."

It's where this list and Hope We Have Fun intersect. Both are categorically Quinn and his bandmates respectively, aiming to relish in the craft. Sometimes he may need to step back to reassess. “There are nine great achievements here on this list, and there are so many more, and they're all inspiring to me to hear people from all different genres like achieve that,” Quinn says. “That thing that jumps off the stereo is what we're all chasing, and we should equally be appreciating."