“While the songs are personal to Joy, the creation of Songbouquet represents a collective labor of love by and for the Philadelphia trans music community.” That’s verbatim from the press materials for the debut album from Joy Burklund & Her Band, 13 tracks produced by Mattie Chaya Kimberly Klauser (Pillow Princess, Mandy Valentine), featuring a bevy of trans and queer collaborators as both performers and those behind the scenes. While Burklund is on a mission to spotlight this vibrant Philly community, it doesn’t hurt that her songs are catchy, heartfelt, and performed with a healthy dose of passion and enthusiasm.
Opening with the brief, a cappella “Three Little Roses” (joined later in the album with the similarly arranged “Morning Bird”), Burklund offers a cheeky opening gambit before the jangly guitars of “On the Line” crash in. “It makes me want to kiss each dot on the line,” she sings. “Inked in blue / Between us ’till I get to you,” over luscious harmonies. With Burklund handling lead vocals, guitar, and piano, she’s joined by a large crew of musicians, anchored by a core rhythm section of Ashley Ferrante on drums and Pansy Lee Erksine on bass, the crunchy, guitar-based indie rock style reminiscent of 1990s college radio but with a present-day freshness.
Guest vocalists pepper Songbouquet in a way that never seems intrusive; instead, they uplift the songs and give them greater dimension. The ethereal, guitar-spiked touches of “Emotion” are significantly bolstered by the harmonies of Sam Rise. Amber Jane’s (Moondrifts) contributions to “Hell in a Handbag” underscore the classic pop balladry, recalling the Beautiful South‘s emotional weight and edgy honesty.
“Words Song” is presented as a joyous pop-punk duet between Joy Burklund and Zaza Diana. Oh, Burklund’s guitar riffs slash away, and a flugelhorn solo from Erksine crashes the party like an unexpected guest bringing a case of really good beer. Burklund’s name is (deservedly) on the cover of Songbouquet, but it clearly takes a village to bring it all together.
The single “Steady Heart” is another of the many highlights, which Burklund wrote for her long-term partner, “a love song for someone who has been through it with you, who’s been an anchor through turbulent change”. Burklund dots the song’s wistful arrangement with witty, verbose lyrics that bring the ugly cry of true love to life as the track begins: “Do you remember when in the supermarket / I smashed a full glass bottle of mayonnaise / It splattered on my hot pink dress / I was so upset / You had to take me (cryin’) in a full pietà on aisle six?”
While Joy Burklund’s slashing electric guitars make up much of the sonic atmosphere of this raucous yet profoundly personal record, there’s refreshing variety on Songbouquet. “Next Life” offers up lush acoustic guitars in a gorgeous folk setting, “Not Gonna Fall” has a bite to it that manages to sound both twangy and anthemic, and “Dream Visitor” is a floating, piano-centered ballad infused with a dreamlike quality, dropped near the album’s dead center.
While Songbouquet certainly sounds inspired by many of the classic pop and rock records that preceded it, it also affirms the power of community. “The songs themselves may come from a private and playful place, but the way we gather and share music is and has always been political and profound,” Burklund writes in the press materials.
She and her group have performed countless live performances in financial support of local mutual aid efforts, aid to Gaza, and gender-affirming care for the local community. The fact that Joy Burklund often shares this music in the name of helping those less fortunate is to be lauded, but it doesn’t hurt that her songs are damn good, and her band sounds amazing performing them.