Wolf's Law

Writing for Wolf's Law was primarily done on the road during the 12-month period that the band toured in support of their previous record, The Big Roar.{{cite web|first=Olly |last=Douglas|title=Interview: The Joy Formidable|work= Muso's Guide|date=November 7, 2012|url=http://musosguide.com/interview-the-joy-formidable/23350| access-date = January 14, 2013}} Commenting on the writing process for the album, guitarist and lead vocalist Ritzy Bryan explained that the songs for the album were approached with vocals and one accompaniment (either guitar or piano) before being built upon, stating, "It's all about the lyrics, the voice and the melody".{{cite web|author=Gary K.|title=The Joy Formidable interview|work= The Digital Fix|date=January 10, 2013|url=http://music.thedigitalfix.com/content/18308/the-joy-formidable-interview.html| access-date = January 14, 2013}} In regards to the band's writing process, bassist Rhydian Dafydd explained, "We always write what's close to our hearts. Every lyric on this album means something - the same as the last record".{{cite web|first=Chris PJ |last=Martin|title=The Joy Formidable: "Our lyrics take on new meanings as time goes by"|work= The Underclassed|date=January 29, 2013|url=http://www.theunderclassed.co.uk/TheJoyFormidable-Interview| access-date = January 29, 2013}} The album was recorded in various places, with vocals and guitars recorded in January 2012 in Sebago Lake, Maine, while drums and additional orchestral and choir pieces for the record were scored and recorded by the band in February 2012 in London. A total of 13 songs were recorded, of which 11 were included on the final album; the extra song, "A Minute's Silence", was issued as a limited edition 12" single on 20 April 2013 for Record Store Day.{{cite web|first=Tom |last=Lanham|title=The PV Q&A: The Joy Formidable's Ritzy Bryan Talks Wolf's Law +The Flaws of Corporate Greed|work= PureVolume|date=November 23, 2012|url=http://www.purevolume.com/news/the-joy-formidable-ritzy-bryan-wolfs-law-interview| access-date = January 14, 2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151561124295783&set=a.117299235782.128349.24115340782&type=1&theater|title=Record Store Day is 10 days away. We're... - The Joy Formidable {{!}} Facebook|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=2016-04-18}} Mixing duties for the record were handled by Andy Wallace while the record's production was completed by the band.{{cite web|first=Jeff |last=Yerger |title=The Joy Formidable Need A Quiet Space to Make a Big Noise |work=Spin |date=May 4, 2012 |url=https://www.spin.com/2012/05/joy-formidable-need-quiet-space-make-big-noise/ |access-date = January 14, 2013}}

The album title is a reference to Wolff's law, a scientific theory by Julius Wolff which posits that bones may become stronger in response to stress as a form of adaptation. According to Bryan, this relates to one of the major themes of the album, which is "relationships on the mend and feeling reinvigorated", and she said that the album feels like the band reconnecting with themselves emotionally and spiritually.{{cite web|author=The Joy Formidable|title=Ritzy on the title "Wolf's Law"|work= Facebook|date=December 27, 2012|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151355544065783&set=a.117299235782.128349.24115340782&type=1&theater| access-date = January 14, 2013}} The album was also said to have been partially influenced by nature, social issues and Native American mythology. "The Leopard and the Lung" was said to have been inspired by activist Wangari Maathai.

Three music videos were released to promote the album. The first video to be released was for the album's hidden title track. The song was made available for free download by joining the band's email list.{{cite web|first=Corban |last=Goble |title=The Joy Formidable – "Wolf's Law" Video |publisher=Stereogum |date=August 23, 2012 |url=https://stereogum.com/1133571/the-joy-formidable-wolfs-law-video/video/ |access-date = January 17, 2013}} Music videos for "Cholla" and "This Ladder Is Ours" were also released. The album was made available for streaming through Rolling Stone on 16 January 2013.{{cite magazine|title=The Joy Formidable Reach for Rock Heights on 'Wolf's Law' – Album Premiere |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 16, 2013 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-joy-formidable-reach-for-rock-heights-on-wolfs-law-album-premiere-20130116 |access-date = January 17, 2013}} On 22 January 2013, Wolf's Law was released worldwide by Atlantic Records on CD, digital download and limited-edition vinyl.

"Little Blimp" had previously been included on the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, released on 30 October 2012.

{{Album ratings

| MC = 73/100{{cite web|title=Critic Reviews for Wolf's Law |publisher=Metacritic |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/wolfs-law/the-joy-formidable/critic-reviews |access-date=February 16, 2013}}

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wolfs-law-mw0002417202 |title=Wolf's Law – The Joy Formidable |first=James Christopher |last=Monger |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev2 = BBC

| rev2Score = favorable{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/vfhf |title=Review of The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law |first=Ben |last=Hewitt |publisher=BBC |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev3 = Consequence of Sound

| rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/01/album-review-the-joy-formidable-wolfs-law/ |title=Album Review: The Joy Formidable – Wolf's Law |first=Jeremy D. |last=Larson |publisher=Consequence of Sound |date=January 22, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev4 = Drowned in Sound

| rev4Score = 6/10{{cite web |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17414/reviews/4145929 |title=Album Review: The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law |publisher=Drowned in Sound |first=Alexander |last=Tudor |date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014 |archive-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116065929/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17414/reviews/4145929 |url-status=dead }}

| rev5 = Filter

| rev5Score = 80%{{cite web|url=http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/reviews/entry/the_joy_formidable2 |title=The Joy Formidable |work=Filter |first=Mike |last=Hilleary |date=January 21, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev6 = The Guardian

| rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/17/joy-formidable-wolfs-law-review |title=The Joy Formidable: Wolf's Law – review |first=Michael |last=Hann |work=The Guardian |date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev7=NME

| rev7score=6/10{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-joy-formidable/13976|last=Beaumont|first=Mark|publisher=NME|date=January 18, 2013|title=Wolf's Law - The Joy Formidable}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 7.2{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17550-wolfs-law/ |title=The Joy Formidable: Wolf's Law |first=Steven |last=Hyden |publisher=Pitchfork |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|first=Jon |last=Dolan |title=Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 22, 2013 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/wolf-s-law-20130122 |access-date=February 2, 2013}}

| rev10 = Slant Magazine

| rev10Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/the-joy-formidable-wolfs-law/2964 |title=The Joy Formidable: Wolf's Law |publisher=Slant Magazine |first=Mark |last=Collett |date=January 19, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

| rev11 = Spin

| rev11Score = 7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/the-joy-formidable-wolfs-law-atlantic |title=The Joy Formidable, 'Wolf's Law' Review |work=Spin |first=Michael |last=Tedder |date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014}}

}}

The album has received mainly positive reviews from music critics. The aggregate review site Metacritic assigned an average score of 73 to the album based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

In a positive review by AP, reviewer Paul J. Weber characterized the album as "wonderfully noisy and hooky, shimmering with guitar-pop accessibility".{{cite web|author=Paul J. Weber|title=Review: Joy Formidable roars again on 'Wolf's Law'|agency= Associated Press|date=January 22, 2013|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ij8J6G-tOe-mOrBS29cN9qpKdRfg?docId=5447e59249584725a481846b687385dd|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216042750/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ij8J6G-tOe-mOrBS29cN9qpKdRfg?docId=5447e59249584725a481846b687385dd|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 February 2013| access-date = February 2, 2013}} Steven Hyden of Pitchfork compared the album to The Big Roar, stating, "If anything, Wolf's Law is a weirder, proggier record that explores a wider range of textures and sounds than the relatively monochromatic Roar". In a similar statement concerning the album's dynamics, Arnold Pan of Pop Matters commented, "The Joy Formidable proves on Wolf’s Law that it can create grandeur and awe by letting contrast and touch speak volumes more than overpowering brute force can".{{cite web|first=Arnold |last=Pan|title=The Joy Formidable: Wolf's Law |publisher=PopMatters |date=January 22, 2013 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/167415-the-joy-formidable-wolfs-law/ |access-date = February 2, 2013}} The lyrics on the album were also praised, with Noel Murray of The A.V. Club claiming that "...the most important trick that The Joy Formidable finesses is to take that sense of grandeur and apply it to today’s world, to ordinary people trying to cope with stress and loneliness".{{cite web|first=Noel |last=Murray |title=The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law |work=The A.V. Club |date=January 22, 2013 |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-joy-formidable-wolf-s-law-1798175546 |access-date=February 3, 2013}}

In a somewhat mixed response, Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone expressed, "At times, it feels like they're glue-gunning hot ideas rather than writing fully realized songs, but they've come up with some fine Frankensteins nonetheless". Critiquing the album's production, Jeremy D. Larson of Consequence of Sound noted, "Wolf’s Law sounds like it was caught in the Muse Trap", explaining that "Bryan’s lacquered riffs on “Cholla” and “Bats” are so pop and polished there’s hardly any friction between her, Thomas, and bassist Rhydian Dafydd". Sam Shepherd of musicOMH similarly stated, "Everything is engineered to sound massive, even the ballads. It is polished to such a degree that it loses the edge that made the band’s earlier work so exciting".{{cite web|first=Sam |last=Shepherd |title=The Joy Formidable – Wolf's Law |publisher=musicOMH |date=January 21, 2013 |url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/joy-formidable-wolfs-law |access-date = February 3, 2013}}

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard 200,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2013-02-09 |date=February 9, 2013 |title=Billboard 200 |magazine=Billboard }} No. 16 on the Rock Albums and No. 11 on the Alternative Albums charts,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-albums/2013-02-09 |date=February 9, 2013 |title=Rock Albums |magazine=Billboard }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/alternative-albums/2013-02-09 |date=February 9, 2013 |title=Alternative Albums |magazine=Billboard }} with around 8,000 copies sold in its first week. The album has sold 25,000 copies in the US as of February 2016.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229094809/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |archive-date= February 29, 2016 |url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |title=Upcoming Releases |work=Hits Daily Double |publisher=HITS Digital Ventures }}

{{Track listing

|all_writing = Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd of the Joy Formidable

|total_length = 52:52

|title1 = This Ladder Is Ours

|length1 = 5:12

|title2 = Cholla

|length2 = 3:23

|title3 = Tendons

|length3 = 4:19

|title4 = Little Blimp

|length4 = 2:52

|title5 = Bats

|length5 = 3:48

|title6 = Silent Treatment

|length6 = 3:39

|title7 = Maw Maw Song

|length7 = 6:47

|title8 = Forest Serenade

|length8 = 4:22

|title9 = The Leopard and the Lung

|length9 = 6:00

|title10 = The Hurdle

|length10 = 3:59

|title11 = The Turnaround

|note11 = includes hidden track, "Wolf's Law"

|length11 = 9:34

}}

Wolf's Law album personnel adapted from the CD liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Wolf's Law |others=The Joy Formidable |date=2013 |type=CD liner |publisher=Atlantic Records}}

;The Joy Formidable

• Ritzy Bryan – composer, guitar, vocals
• Rhydian Dafydd – bass, composer, vocals
• Matt Thomas – drums

;Additional album personnel

• Joy Smith – harp
• Tercia Realidad – strings
• Jorge Jimenez – violin, direction
• James O'Toole – violin
• Emma Alter – violin
• Henrik Persson – cello
• Xavier Stephenson – drum engineer, assistant string engineer
• Liam Nolan – assistant drum engineer, assistant string engineer
• Sam Wheat – string engineer
• Paul Suarez – ProTools engineer
• Neak Mentor – assistant engineer
• Brian Montgomery – assistant engineer
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Steve Ralbovsky – A&R
• Martin Wittfooth – paintings, album artwork
• James Minchin III – photo (band photo)
• Alex R. Kirzhner – design

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.thejoyformidable.com/ Official website]

{{The Joy Formidable}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2013 albums

Category:Atlantic Records albums

Category:The Joy Formidable albums