Joviale composed their debut album ‘Mount Crystal’ following an enlightening journey to a summit in Chamonix with producer Jkarri. We explore the inception of the project, their unconventional songwriting method, and how the experience became a catalyst for personal growth.
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“I envision Mount Crystal as a colony of all sorts of crystals, including those yet to be uncovered.”
Hailing from London, Joviale is a multidisciplinary visionary who perceives songwriting as an act of world-building that is emotive, immersive, and utterly captivating. Their debut LP ‘Mount Crystal,’ released through Ghostly International, serves as a personal auditory pilgrimage. The album delves deeper into the internal struggles highlighted in the EP ‘Hurricane Belle,’ this time framing it through the metaphor of a mountain. “I viewed it as my life’s journey toward Mount Crystal. It represents a character arc.”
The record outlines a climb: it begins with tension, yearning, and opposition, evident in tracks like ‘Snow,’ ‘HARK!’ and ‘Crush.’ The middle peaks with ‘Moonshine’ and ‘Let Me Down,’ wrestling with themes of illusion and pride. Finally, the descent arrives slow, clear, and contemplative in the concluding songs ‘Blu’ and ‘Wishing.’ “The mountain concept appealed to me,” they note, “because of the significant struggle involved in ascending. You might think reaching the summit is the reward, but I hope listeners understand: the real goal is the descent—finding peace and recovering.”
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Joviale's foray into music production began during the lockdown when they took it upon themselves to learn the craft through online tutorials. “I started teaching myself, watching videos, and learning about editing,” they reminisce. However, post-pandemic, collaborating with producers became challenging. “It turned out to be difficult to find someone who resonated with the vibe I was aiming for… we often weren't on the same wavelength,” they share.
In the subsequent years, Joviale continued to write and perform with their band, keeping the dream of self-production alive in the background, until a serendipitous meeting with composer and producer John Carroll Kirby changed the trajectory. “I was genuinely starstruck by him. I admired him greatly, and we developed a friendship.”
In 2022, Joviale traveled to Chamonix to support BADBADNOTGOOD, where the foundation for ‘Mount Crystal’ truly began to form. Bandmate Joshua Gaskin-Brown, known as Jkarri, joined them. “To me, he was just my brother’s friend,” they chuckle. “But I started sharing my demos, and we bonded deeply at the mountain summit.”
The day after their return, Joshua had already booked a studio in Camden. “I was like, wow, okay. This is happening.” That summer, Joviale introduced Jkarri to Kirby. “It was like love at first sight,” they grin. The trio spent every day in the studio creating together. “We were buying lots of fruit, eating in the park, jamming in the studio. There was incredible synergy.” Eventually, the album came together eight months later, spanning locations from a sublet in Barcelona to a studio in LA and their living room in London.
Initially conceived as a play, Joviale and close friend Chloe Borthwick envisioned ‘Mount Crystal’ as a surreal resort atop a mountain, where a series of enigmatic murders take place. The protagonist? A charmingly dangerous entertainer from a “far, far away” place. Joviale’s approach to the project is inherently theatrical, encapsulating an emotionally charged world of performance and drama. “Once you listen, you’ll recognize it's highly performed and dramatic. It’s as if I've extracted myself from my own essence.”
Inspired by visionaries like Prince and David Lynch, ‘Mount Crystal’ utilizes melodrama as a means of self-exploration rather than mere spectacle. “Prince often plays the antagonist in many narratives, correct?” His depiction never casts him as a traditional hero. That raw honesty, like acknowledging imperfection—that’s what intrigues me. The ambiguity.” It’s this same surreal theatrical quality found in Prince’s ‘Under the Cherry Tree’—from flawed characters and intense emotions to bold visual storytelling—that influenced the album's original play format.
“There’s beauty in embracing your flaws and crafting from that place. I tend to write in a way that pulls you directly in, not from self-indulgence, but because that’s where my narratives originate.”
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The act of writing itself evolved into a form of emotional excavation. “It enabled me to refine my ability to express myself clearly.” On ‘HARK!’, they sing: “My tongue’s my sharpest blade.” This line encapsulates the album’s essence, transforming self-examination into art, anger into allegory, and jealousy into narrative. “I’m unpacking my emotions—what it’s like to feel angry, sad, or jealous,
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Joviale created their first album, 'Mount Crystal,' following an enlightening journey to a peak in Chamonix with producer Jkarri. We talk about the beginnings of the