If it’s been a minute since your last existential crisis, dig into Joey Collins’ latest single, Is This What We’re Living For?, which takes echoes of post-hardcore production and feeds them through quiescent melodicism as the lyrics thread a myriad of questions through the ethereal atmosphere. Even though the release carries few implicit answers, there’s plenty of resolution to be found within the emotional disillusionment, which serves as a timely tribute to the point of human evolution we’ve had the misfortune to reach. Thematically, Is This What We’re Living For? succeeds in portraying the true weight of self-awareness while carrying some of the burden for you.
With a deft hand for fusing volatile alt-rock with cinematic electronica, the Nottingham-based artist Joey Collins constructs sonic tension with the same precision he uses to tear at the seams of composure. Refusing to box himself into a single genre, Collins focuses on forging affective resonance through brooding synths, instrumental crescendos, and vocals that register as both pleas and declarations. His production style builds an architecture where intensity pulses through the walls of contemplation.
From his earliest days embedded in the local scene to earning praise from BBC Introducing, Notion, and Earmilk, Collins has matured into a purveyor of disquiet and catharsis. With a second album in the pipeline and a headline date at The Bodega on the books for August, 2025 is already bearing the marks of artistic evolution.
Is This What We’re Living For? is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast.
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