T… Read Full Bio ↴Joywave is a Rochester, NY, USA indie pop band, active since 2010.
Their first full-length album, "How Do You Feel Now?", was released on April 21, 2015.
The band released its first single "Golden State" on January 4th, 2011 via its website (joywavemusic.com), and followed up with their "77777" mixtape in March 2011. The mixtape is a complex arrangement of original works, covers, and sample based songs featuring various stems combined with Daniel Armbruster's vocals.
In August 2011, Joywave released a limited edition 7" vinyl through blog-turned label Tympanogram, featuring "Traveling At The Speed Of Light" from their "77777" mixtape alongside new single, "Ridge".
Joywave released "Koda Vista" EP on March 27th, 2012. The 7 song release deals with the influence of environmental factors on personal experience, painting a picture of predestination born long before each of the band members.
Their 2nd mixtape, "88888", and 2nd EP, "How Do You Feel?", have been released in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
They are also known for their cooperation with Big Data ("Dangerous", 2013).
Since then, they've released three more albums- 2017's "Content", 2020's "Possession", and 2022's "Cleanse".
Members:
Daniel Armbruster - Vocals
Joseph Morinelli - Guitar
Paul Brenner - Drums
Kevin Mahoney - Bass
Past members:
Travis Johansen - Keys/Percussion/Guitar
Sean Donnelly - Bass
Benjamin Bailey - Keyboards
Nice House
Joywave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the bathroom mirror, he knocked me down to the floor
I don't know him, I don't know him
There's an aging man with a narrow face
He's been following me around for days
I don't know him, never met him
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
The days repeating
I thought I'd have a nice house, to blow my brains out
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place, where I could get away
There's a strange grown man with a few grey hairs
In my own twin bed, I don't think he belongs there
No I don't
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
The days repeating (I was on standby)
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
The days repeating
I thought I'd have a nice house, to blow my brains out
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place, where I could get away
I thought I'd have a good wife, to kiss me goodnight
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place, where I could get away
Hey now, hey now, hey now
We run away now, away now, away now
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
Hey now, hey now, hey now
We run away now, away now, away now
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
I thought I'd have a nice house, to blow my brains out
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place, where I could get away
I thought I'd have a good wife, to kiss me goodnight
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place (to run from danger, my own place)
To run from danger, my own place
The lyrics to Joywave's song "Nice House" express a sense of longing for safety and security. The song opens with the singer encountering an unfamiliar man who is unsettling and leads to the singer falling to the ground. This is followed by the singer encountering an aging man who has been following him around. The repetition of "I don't know him, never met him" emphasizes the unknown and unfamiliar nature of these encounters.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's desire for safety and security through material possessions, such as a nice house or a fast car. However, the second verse takes a dark turn as the singer encounters yet another strange man, this time in his own bed. The repeated line "my own place, where I could get away" highlights the importance of having a space of one's own where they feel safe and secure.
The bridge of the song offers a glimmer of hope as the singer encourages themselves and the listener to run away and escape from their troubles. This final chorus repeats the desire for a nice house, a good wife, or a fast car, but ultimately the focus is on finding a place to escape from danger.
Overall, the lyrics to "Nice House" express a sense of fear and longing for safety and security, while also acknowledging the desire for material possessions to achieve that safety.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a strange grown man in a creepy coat
Encountering a suspicious looking individual in a strange, unsettling coat
In the bathroom mirror, he knocked me down to the floor
Being startled by the sight of this man and physically falling over
I don't know him, I don't know him
Expressing confusion and fear at the stranger's presence
There's an aging man with a narrow face
Noticing an older man who seems to be following and watching closely
He's been following me around for days
Feeling unease over being constantly watched and followed for an extended period of time
I don't know him, never met him
Reiterating that the singer has no familiarity with the stranger and is perturbed by their behavior
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
Feeling nervous and on edge, as represented by an elevated heart rate
The days repeating (I was on standby)
Feeling stuck in a repetitive cycle of fear and anxiety
I thought I'd have a nice house, to blow my brains out
Expressing a sense of hopelessness and disappointment in the artist's unrealistic expectations for their future
Or a fast car, to run from danger
Desiring a means of escape from difficult or threatening situations
My own place, where I could get away
Dreaming of a safe and peaceful space away from the chaos of the outside world
There's a strange grown man with a few grey hairs
Encountering another suspicious individual, this time in the artist's own bed
In my own twin bed, I don't think he belongs there
Feeling violated and invaded by a stranger who has somehow entered the singer's personal space
My pulse kept beating (I was on standby)
Continuing to feel an intense sense of fear and unease
The days repeating (I was on standby)
Enduring more of the same anxiety-fueled monotony
I thought I'd have a good wife, to kiss me goodnight
Longing for companionship and tenderness in the midst of fear and uncertainty
Hey now, hey now, hey now
Beginning a chorus that emphasizes the artist's desire to escape and be free
We run away now, away now, away now
Encouraging others to join the singer in fleeing their current circumstances
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
Believing that escape and freedom is possible
To run from danger, my own place
Repeating a desire to find safety and refuge
We can escape now, escape now, escape now
Reinforcing the idea that a new, more secure life is within reach
Hey now, hey now, hey now
Concluding the chorus with a sense of urgency and determination
Contributed by Nathaniel I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lindsey Shirley
LYRICS:
There's a strange grown man in a creepy coat
In the bathroom mirror, knock me down on the floor
I don't know him, I don't know him
[Verse 2]
There's an aging man with a narrow face
He's been following me around for days
I don't know him, I don't know him
[Pre-Chorus]
My, the walls kept beating, oh, the days repeating
Oh, my the walls kept beating, oh, the days repeating
[Chorus 1]
I thought I'd have a nice house, to blow my brains out
Or a fast car, to run from danger
My own place, where I could get away
[Verse 3]
There's a strange grown man with a few grey hairs
In my own twin bed, I don't think he belongs there
No, I don't
[Pre-Chorus]
My, the walls kept beating, oh, the days repeating
Oh, my the walls kept beating, oh, the days repeating
[Chorus 1]
I thought I'd have a nice house to blow my brains out
Or a fast car to run from danger
My own place where I could get away
I thought I'd have a good wife to kiss me goodnight
Or a fast car to run from danger
My own place where I could get away
[Bridge]
Hey now, hey now, hey now
We go, away now, away now, away now
We can, escape now, escape now, escape now
We can, escape now, escape now, escape now
[Chorus 1]
I thought I'd have a nice house to blow my brains out
Or a fast car to run from danger
My own place where I could get away
I thought I'd have a good wife to kiss me goodnight
Or a fast car to run from danger
My own place where I could get away
Jessica Hughitt
This song actually makes me cry because of its perfection
Jacek Szlijan
Hi Jessica, I was driving my car this afternoon when this popped up on spotify ramdomly ...that was the first time I heard it and I am a big boy, but couldn't stop the steady flow of tears that simply started 10 seconds into the song...again I was 22 with my hair tousled by the wind running into the streets of my town
Aidan Callahan
Nice
Nick Dimitre
@vile Their back to back in the tracklist which is so great
vile
do does traveling at the speed of light from the same album but yeah pretty much
sebulbaonstadia
same same same
Frelly427
what a powerful chorus. try driving on the freeway and screaming it, leaves you feeling empty but determined
Jacek Szlijan
What a beautiful soul you are, thank you for such a deep rendering of the genius of this song undescribable to me until this point...
daystillnight
This is a song I can imagine hearing when driving toward an uncertain future, with hope that whatever it is that awaits me is better than the present.
Nathann Latimore
Gosh, I love that ending harp ramble so much, and I love that there's a little "Bad Dreams" sneak peek melody in there.