From a band of Venezuelan refugees formed in the shadow of one of the most corrupt authoritarian regimes in modern history to finding a home for themselves and their music in New York City, heavy psychedelic-rock act Joudy have evolved to become a well-loved fixture of Brooklyn’s rock scene.

Fully embracing their second chance at life and their craft, the band who are prepping their new English-language LP,  Destroy All Monsters, have offered up recent single Uneasy, from it, rooted in the DIY ethos that they’ve made their signature. Set to be an immersive reflection of the band’s rebirth, the album will be an encapsulation of their new artistry, framed by the violence of their past alongside vulnerability and vibrance in equal amounts.In conversation with 1883, Joudy delve into the theme of their album, how their Venezuelan background has influenced their sound, the healing message that each note of their music carries for listening and much more.

What is the inspiration/message behind your LP Destroy All Monsters?

The overall theme is really about the internal journey that takes place as we overcome unexpected challenges. The album as a whole follows the arc of the hero’s journey through a mystical lens, and the album’s lyrics are meant to be understood as one continuously unfolding story.

You are releasing your previous Spanish language music as well. Moving from Spanish to English, how would you say your musical approach varies? Is there a difference in the creative process when the language is different?

Musically, we think the creative process is similar across both languages, however, lyrically the difference is more notable. When you switch the writing process from Spanish to English, you realize how different phrases and structures are from one language to another. Spanish words are longer, with more syllables and subtle accents that change the meaning of the words. In English, words are shorter and the accents on syllables carry less weight. It makes it easier to say more in less space.

How has your Venezuelan background influenced your music? How has your sound evolved since becoming embedded in the Brooklyn scene?

We grew up listening to salsa, cumbia, merengue, musica llanera and boleros, so Venezuelan music has heavily influenced us rhythmically. This music has much different rhythm than rock music typically has; we love to put that at the front of our music. After we moved to New York, we got inspired by the expressiveness of the local scene. The uniqueness and intensity of the bands here unleashed a rawer, more explosive aspect of our own sound and performance.

What themes that you haven’t explored in the past are you most keen to delve into your future music? 

Songs about fictional stories in different genres: sci fi, fantasy, horror, even war stories. We have been talking about our real life experiences all this time, so it could be cool to expand our imagination and go further lyrically.

Do you have a personal favorite track from the album – which one and why?

We all really like “Tail End”. We decided to experiment with ⅝, so it was a bit of a challenge to make it work. The song changed structures a few times, but in the end, everything connected in a really meaningful way. It’s definitely one of our favorites to play live.

What’s the most rewarding part of the music making process and what’s the most challenging part? 

The most rewarding moments are hearing the music recorded. It’s always gratifying to finish  the creative process and experience the song as an audience member.

The challenge will always be creating new concepts for albums and songs… we take it seriously because we know what is recorded is forever, so we always want to be sure we said what we mean in an intentional way.

If listeners could take away one message from your music in general, what would you want it to be and why? 

Feel yourself, hear yourself, heal yourself, be yourself.Getting to know yourself will help you to find the way onward.

If you had to introduce Joudy to someone new to your music what three words would best describe you? 

Heavy, trippy, spectral.

Finally, what’s been your most surreal moment as a band and what’s on your bucket list?

The most surreal moment was really finding ourselves together again living in the same country, in the same city. It was pretty sudden and unplanned— we thought it would be a really long time before we’d see each other again. Having our previous albums re-released recently by our label was pretty trippy too honestly, all connecting back to that moment.

As for our bucket list, right now it looks like this: play a sold-out show at Brooklyn Steel, play Lollapalooza here in the states and Primavera Sound in Spain. Opening for a band like Deftones or The Mars Volta on tour definitely makes the list too.

Uneasy is out now, follow Joudy via @joudyju

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