Keep On Moving

Vance Joy's new EP title suggests reference to remaining happy, no matter what gets thrown your way. It's a spin that Joy, um, enjoys, although there's more depth to it than that. “That's a good take on it,” he commends. “For me, I love the line just because I thought it was really flavoursome. It has a bit of intrigue to it. I thought of it in the sense of abandon and also when you're in that moment and you're at one with yourself, and whatever you're doing has that sense of freedom and joy which you can get from something like that, dancing, or music – whatever it is that gives you that high.”

He calls “that sense of freedom” something that builds up, a sensation that propels through your body to deliver those tingling natural highs. “I guess if a song can give you that, if you get any skerrick of that during the writing process, I think it's worth persisting with because somehow it's tapped into something inside you,” he reasons. “If it gives you that then it's possible it might have the same effect on someone else when they hear it.”

And really, chasing that feeling and conveying those broad-reaching emotions is what true songwriting is all about. Not that Joy ever held concrete aspirations to follow such a path. Working as a gardener part-time while studying a double degree of art and law, he kept his tunes in his pocket, a pastime more than a potential profession. It wasn't until the young songwriter embarked on extensive travels across India and Southeast Asia that his future became a little clearer. “Over that time I got more familiar with the idea of playing music and wanting to share it with people,” he remembers, “but it was still a couple of years after that I came to terms with wanting to do it.”

Writing both from a fictional and personal standpoint, Joy admits that it's sometimes hard to separate the two worlds. He might start with something about himself but diverge a bit, add some fantasy and make it more universal. But it's this formula that helps the music resonate deep and true. “I was listening to Jeff Buckley, Last Goodbye, and it's funny, you can listen to that song and if you're in a different frame of mind it can change every time,” he relates. “Say, if you're in love or something, that song can absolutely kill you. It's interesting, every time you listen to a song you read yourself into it.”

Shockingly, Joy's voice is a natural one, the songwriter without any formal training since he first started singing, age 14. “It's a nice journey discovering your voice and all the things you can do with it,” he tells. And just like the great tones of time such as Bob Dylan, Joy's offers a window into his soul, a fact helped further with the production space maintained across the EP's five tracks.

It might start with a melody, or even a few words, but once he's decided he wants to build a world around them, the Melburnian will take those small parts, let them simmer and then piece the puzzle together. It's a romantic way to craft his songs, but really, you couldn't imagine anything less from Vance Joy. “Sometimes you just have to put the guitar down, turn the phone off and go for a walk,” he says. “Just give yourself that time. I think it's the only way you leave something in the well, so you don't bruise and batter everything that's in there. [But] it's such a hard thing to know and there's no rules. I wish there was a bit more of a strong formula and guidelines but it's learning as we go – we're constantly learning.”

Vance Joy will be playing the following dates:

Thursday 18 April - The Vanguard, Sydney NSW
Wednesday 24 April - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 27 April - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC