I have fairly unfriendly feelings toward acoustic re orchestration EP's in general. More often than not, they tend to feel pandering and a step backwards for the recording artists. Unfortunately, No Joy Acoustic, isn't an exception. Spanish Love Song's most recent release feels like a lateral step for fans like me who were hoping for original music.
First, let's talk about the term "acoustic". Listeners tend to think this term will mean non-electric instruments like wooden guitars, upright basses, and a string quartet or trio. They'd think that, but what acoustic albums tend to actually mean is a re-orchestration with electric instruments only with less distortion, the addition of an acoustic guitar, and a vocal line sung down an octave. No Joy Acoustic is not an exception.
The acoustic EP re imagining songs from the band's last LP, No Joy, will likely only appeal to those who listened to and enjoyed No Joy. I find No Joy Acoustic to be mostly a gimmick, with the original versions of Clean up Crew and Haunted being superior in both composition and performance quality, a fact highlighted by the original versions being included on the record. I would have preferred a band as talented as Spanish Love Songs to have spent this time working on new music.
Spanish Love Songs is one of my favorite bands. No Joy itself was a triumph and Brave Faces Everyone is credited with getting me through the worst of COVID lock downs in 2020. The Tempo suggests you listen to either of these albums before you listen to No Joy Acoustic, which I rate as a 2/5. The songs are not bad, but they are worse than their originals. Perhaps a short acoustic set in a live performance would be nice, but I find little reason to spin this record over No Joy.
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