Better late than never, right?
Right??
I have a million excuses for why this didnât launch alongside JOYRIDE #4 but they basically all come down to one thing: SDCC. Our fourth issue launched in the middle of a week-long comic book party and I just didnât have the mental bandwidth to write this up. And then the post-Con fever swept me up, a million things happenedâŠ
⊠and I kinda forgot. Whoops.
But still, the playlist lingered on Spotify, demanding to be released. And so here it is, alongside my liner notes.
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE
Track #1:Â âCan We Still Be Friendsâ by Tobias Jesso Jr
Weâre starting off pretty on-the-nose here. This really does feel like a turning point in Uma/Catrin/Dewyddâs relationship with one another; Catrin and Dewydd have both bared secrets theyâve kept hidden to Uma and she is NOT handling it well. She doesnât WANT to hurt. She wants to still be friends. But her anger is getting the best of her in every way. I know a little something about letting anger control you - and Jesso really lands the feeling here.
Track #2:Â âGlitterâ by No Age
This song has been on about half the writing playlists Iâve ever assembled - it sits somewhere between melancholy, regretful, and lovely⊠words I think describe Dewydd rather exactly. Umaâs gotten under his skin and heâs starting to wonder if he can finally bare his soul. This is just the first step⊠and as youâll see in the second arc of JOYRIDE, Dâs life is going to be changing in extremely huge ways as he reveals what lies in his heart.
Track #3:Â âSeraphâ by Mas Ysa
Uh, oh. Jornâs here. And heâs pissed. And Umaâs going to make one hell of a bad decision.
Track #4:Â âSurviveâ by Chelsea Wolfe
The team is torn asunder - and weâre into pretty dark territory. No one does the darkness of the heart quite like Chelsea Wolfe. Iâd recommend the entirety of her album âAbyssâ - but this one in particular speaks to the heartbreak of losing those you rely on to survive. Heartbreak, thy name is Joyride.
Track #5/6:Â âNo Guilt in Pleasureâ by MS MR /Â âHigh By The Beachâ by Lana Del Rey
Welcome to Umaâs very worst headspace. Thereâs nothing quite like feeling morally superior - it makes you do dumb things out of anger and pride, all the while feeling like youâre doing the RIGHT thing. It can be fun. It can be exhilarating. And at the end, when the high has worn off, youâre left being a total fucking asshole whose left relationships in tatters just so you can fuck off and feel good. Uma started the Joyride to run. Is it any wonder sheâs falling into the trap of prideful loneliness?
Track #7:Â âTrue Love Knowsâ by La Luz
Oh, Dewydd. Poor, poor, lovely Dewydd. Heâs an INCH away from giving up. From letting his brother tell him who he is. Heâs gone sleepy and sad. Heâs tired of running. I imagine this song is just playing on repeat, letting him know he can finally sleep.
Track #8:Â âNew Kidâ by Ex Hex
Catrin, on the other hand, is throwing a middle finger in the air to all that. Sheâs learned everything Uma had to throw down about independence - and now, by using Umaâs words from Issue #1, sheâs taking a stand. Sheâs not a princess⊠sheâs a warrior. And sheâs starting to truly accept who she is. This track has been her theme song since moment #1 - but Iâve waited to share it until now.
Track #9: âLittle Starâ by Royal Headache
OH SHIT UMAâS BACK AND SHEâS NOT AFRAID ANYMORE.
AND JORN SEES THE PART OF DEWYDD HE CANâT CHANGE.
âWhen things turned rough, thatâs when I knew that I loved you.â
Track #10:Â âBury Itâ by CHVRCHES
This one should be pretty self-explanatory. Itâs all there in the book and the lyrics. All that pain, all those angry moments with Uma at the top of the book - this is where it all gets buried. Because Uma finally shows her trauma. She starts running towards her friends, rather than away from her past. Also, this song has a LOT to say about Catrin and Dewydd, but youâll get more of that in Issue #5.
Track #11:Â âLIFEâ by HEALTH
As the team blasts off into the galaxy at high speed - just turn this one as loud as you can and imagine where they might be headed. Theyâve got their wholes lives ahead of them. Fun fact: this was once the last panel of JOYRIDE - and while the rest of the book was reworked when we were picked up to ongoing, we knew we wanted to bring them all together as a team, crew, and friend group before heading into the unknown of Volume 2.
They donât know what they want, but they know theyâll find it together.
See you in September for the release of JOYRIDE, VOL 1: IGNITION - as well as ISSUE #5: âThe Kissing Planet.â Even if you got the singles, you should check out the $10 trade - itâs got a whole new playlist and even a fun way to share it with your friends.
And if thereâs anything JOYRIDE is truly about, itâs the power of friends.
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