Joan

Forming earnest mellow pop through glistening production steeped in '80s new wave and '90s R&B textures, the duo joan consists of Alan Thomas and Steven Rutherford. Their opening EP, portra, surfaced in 2018 and earned favorable nods to the 1975 and LANY. Subsequent work incorporated a brighter mix of classic boy-band energy and modern pop, evident on the 2020 release Cloudy as well as the paired 2021 EPs Hi and Bye. In 2022 they joined singer Josie Dunne for the reflective single "Point."

Both musicians hail from Little Rock, Arkansas, where their earlier groups crossed paths on local stages. Thomas and Rutherford started composing material together in 2016. Under the joan name their first track, "Take Me On," emerged early in 2017, followed later that year by "Love Somebody Like You" in the middle of the calendar and "Tokyo" in December. Maintaining a polished electronic surface, wistful mood, and emotive singing style, "I Loved You First" appeared in March 2018, after which the pair launched a run of U.S. headline dates opening for Geographer. The July arrival of portra included a pair of takes on "Take Me On."

Following their alliance with the independent imprint SNAFU Records, additional tracks arrived in 2019 such as "Drive All Night" and "One More Touch." Signing with Photo Finish Records paved the way for the mid-2020 EP Cloudy. The next year brought the companion Hi and Bye EPs, which examined the arc of new romance on the former and its dissolution on the latter. Further 2022 singles encompassed "Don't Wanna Be Your Friend" alongside the aforementioned "Point" featuring Josie Dunne.