Listening to Joy Cleaner's new album Laugh A Minute, I feel as if I've been transported back to the '90s — in an entirely good way. Joey DeGroot, Kyle Wilkerson, and Phil Connor are Joy Cleaner, a Jersey City–based band doing indie rock meets noisy pop meets slacker rock meets power pop meets geek rock. I'm reminded so much of numerous great bands that were all over college radio and the cooler alternative rock stations in the early-to-mid '90s. But crucially, Joy Cleaner doesn't just have a sound — it has songs. This band has been at it for a decade-plus and is clearly getting better with age.
Laugh A Minute is all hits and no shit — the work of a seasoned band that knows exactly the kind of music it wants to make and exactly how to make it. A lot of the influences are no mystery. You'll hear a little Weezer, quite a bit of post–Husker Du fuzzy indie punk, and a whole lot of Thirteen-era Teenage Fanclub in the mix. But these guys aren't copyists or nostalgia freaks. They've crafted their own version of '90s left of the dial guitar pop that feels very much at home in 2026. Much of that can be attributed to the band's impressive range. While "Full Speed Ahead" is straight-ahead buzzing slacker rock, songs like "Seven and Seven," "World of Good," and "Postcard Blue" highlight the band's flair for pristine melodies and pure pop hooks. "Blond in a Bomber" and "Something Like 25 Hammers" put the rock in indie rock. The fantastic "Expressway" recalls they heyday of alt-rock power pop. "Something's Wrong Here" has a dense guitar sound that suggests post-grunge without the grunge. And there are a limited number of bands on this planet that could write a song as good as "Neon Blister." The band's secret weapon is its lyrics. As catchy and pleasant as these songs are musically, they are surprisingly deep and thoughtful lyrically. Joy Cleaner songs don't believe in empty calories, and all these tracks are worth exploring for the pictures they paint of failed relationships, regret, and disillusionment. Surely the album title is an ironic nod to these being bummer songs beyond the surface. But there's a true genius in being able to write bummer songs that will make people happy, and Joy Cleaner has that kind of magic touch.
As the pile of great releases in 2026 begins to become too towering to scale, I urge everyone to give Laugh a Minute some attention. It's a wonderful record that pulls from a bygone era of music and drags it fully into the present.
