Being in a microcosm known as a "band" gives its members a unique perspective on people. On Viberate, Joydrop's sophomore album, the adventuresome rock unit exposes the strengths and weaknesses of human nature from the vulnerability of "Swan Song" to the resilience of "Thick Skin" and sheer disgust of "American Dream Girl."
After touring for the first time, logging over 300 shows in North America, the members of Joydrop -- singer Tara Slone, bassist Tom McKay, drummer Tony Rabalao and guitarist Thomas Payne -- developed a better understanding of what makes people tick, flaws, foibles and all. "A lot of heavy stuff happened because being on the road is such an intense experience," says Slone. "We went from seeing the band as the most important thing to realizing that the people in the band are the most important thing. We really learned how to care for each other."
"We were a different band in a way when we made this album. When we went in to the studio to record the first album we had been together for less than a year. We hardly knew each other." As with Joydrop's 1999 debut, Metasexual, Slone's band mates continue to write their songs with her in mind, but now they know more about the enigmatic singer, a practicing Buddhist, who grew up in the east coast of Canada, and has a love for hockey.