After months of anticipation, better joy‘s debut EP, heading into blue, is here. Personally, the project of Bria Keely has become one of my favourite recent discoveries. Her ability to pair catchy instrumentation with layered, emotive lyricism has created an accessibility that has existed since the beginning, making it super easy to connect to. There’s a relatability to it that anybody could uncover, and this has become a staple of the better joy sound.
From the anthemic ‘waiting on time‘, the dreary acceptance of ‘what a day’, the hopeful mind of ‘carnival‘, all the way through to the wonder of ‘can i land the plane?’, heading into blue is a complete package. One that introduces the world to someone for the first time, in their entirety. We had the pleasure of talking to Bria about it. Dissecting the themes and the evolution some of the songs underwent in the process. It makes for great reading, and brings even more context into an artist who provides that already.
Hello better joy, how’s it going? Hi Adam! Yeh, all good thank you – gearing up to the debut tour, which is exciting, especially now we’ve sold out London and Manchester; suddenly feels very real! Can’t wait to get the new music on the road.
Your debut EP, heading into blue is out soon. What can you tell us about it? I’m really proud of this EP – when it comes to my songwriting journey, it feels like these songs were my first experience of really believing in myself as a songwriter. The colour blue signifies self-expression and freedom and I think with these songs, that’s where I’m heading. This EP is a taster of what’s to come!
You mentioned elsewhere that despite the themes, each song has a lightness to them. Is that something you had in mind prior to heading into the studio? Is that something you wanted to have running throughout the EP? Kind of, yeh! I really want people to feel uplifted when they hear these songs. Whilst the lyrics explore different themes, some heavy, I do think there’s an uplifting message that runs through the EP which is to root for yourself and to see the good in life.
For me, it was important to try and strike that balance between light and heavy sounds and lyrics. I think the sound we’ve created is quite bright, which I love, and I do feel like that’s a lingering hopefulness in the lyrics; songs like ‘can I land the plane?’ is a song about not knowing if you’ll be able to do what you’ve set out to do. I feel like I answer that question with this EP.
Your openness is something that’s become a staple of your sound. Have you always found it easy to put your thoughts/emotions into lyrics; has it become easier over time? No! Not at all. I actually find it really difficult to be vulnerable and it’s something I’ve had to practice through songwriting. Some people naturally have that instinct to be in touch with emotions and be comfortable with vulnerability – I am not one of those people! It took me a long time to understand what I felt and how I saw things, and validate those emotions.
Thank you for saying that openness is a staple of my sound as it’s something I’m striving for in all my writing and that is definitely getting easier, the more I write. The more honest I am with my writing, the more I feel that connection with the crowd when I perform live – it’s a feeling you can’t beat.
‘quiet thing’ underwent quite an evolution over the recording sessions. Did any of the other songs on the EP undergo similar reimaginings? Every song has its own journey, for sure. Some of those songs have been worked on and worked on, whilst others just appeared. With ‘Couldn’t Run Forever’, I had no intention of sharing it with anyone; then I played it to my sister, randomly, and she pushed me to show it to Mike Hedges (producer).
We added a strong bass-line, but that was about it in terms of evolution – that’s so rare that that happens, and when it does, it feels really good! But other songs took time, and ‘quiet thing’ is one of those that benefited so much from being left, developed, then left again…then brought back to the surface. I am very aware that some songs take longer to find themselves, and it’s an instinctive thing too – sometimes songs just feel like they’re done and others, you know instinctively it will take time for it to find its feet.
Which of the new songs are your favourite to perform live? Depends on the day! Sometimes different crowds connect with different songs. Currently, my favourites to play live are ‘quiet thing’ and ‘waiting on time’– and I’ll be playing a few others on the tour that aren’t on the EP, and I think they’ll become my favourites pretty soon.
Speaking of live, your upcoming tour includes a date at The Old Blue Last in London. How does it feel to perform a sold out show in the capital? Wild! I’m so excited, I still can’t believe we’ve sold out, and still with 3 weeks to go. Last time we played London, it was a smaller room and we were supporting another act, so this feels amazing. Still tickets left in other cities though if people want to go! Each show is going to be special, can’t bloody wait.
Who’ve you been listening to lately that might’ve inspired the material on heading into blue? When I wrote ‘heading to blue’, I was listening to a lot of 80s guitar music like the Cure, and music by Phoebe Bridgers and Alvvays. it’s been a while since we recorded the EP, so my taste has gone through different waves since then. I’ve been down a Wunderhorse rabbit hole for a while now and have no plans on coming out! I love their two albums so much.
All fan-waving aside, better joy has only delivered hits so far. Never missing the mark for one second, and this continues on her first substantial release. heading into blue is a collection of songs from someone who’s looking to get out of the funk and start living again. A hopefulness exists within them, and shines through the heavy topics. Once again, this complexity is matched with instrumentals loaded with direct riffs and effortlessly catchy hooks. It’s a fantastic EP. One that exceeded expectations from somebody who’s followed Bria’s career so far. I think it solidifies better joy as one of the best upcoming artists around.
And finally, what’s your favourite fruit? Satsumas. Without question.
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You can check out better joy on tour on the following dates:
27.03.25 – Garage (Attic), Glasgow
28.03.25 – Zerox, Newcastle
29.03.25 – Dead Wax, Birmingham
30.03.25 – Bodega, Nottingham
01.04.25 – The Louisiana, Bristol
03.04.25 – Old Blue Last, London SOLD OUT
04.04.25 – Night & Day, Manchester SOLD OUT
05.04.25 – The Joiners, Southampton
10.04.25 – V11, Rotterdam
11.04.25 – Supersonic, Paris
Completely agree with how better joy brings such relatable emotions to life in ‘heading into blue.’ The journey from the reflective ‘what a day’ to the uplifting hope of ‘carnival’ really showcases Bria Keely’s range. It’s rare to find an EP that feels this personal yet universally resonant — such a solid debut!