This week, day after day has been full of gray, leaky skies and whipping winds. Around 5:30 pm on this soggy Thursday, however, the clouds broke into a setting sun. The sky bled from a rosy orange into a marvelous purple before a new sheet of dark clouds rolled in, concluding the small, bright reprieve from the gloomy weather.  

Mt. Joy’s music feels like that luminous break, with upbeat instrumentals and lyrics that celebrate life at its core. I find myself turning to their discography when I need a pick-me-up, so on this rainy, mid-semester Thursday, I present “Orange Blood” by Mt. Joy. 

This album flips between soft, simple string melodies and complexly layered and psychedelic instrumentals. Although the switch-up may seem disorienting, it’s easy to sing and sway through the entire album.  

There’s one main theme across “Orange Blood,” spelled out simply in its song, “Lemon Tree.” They sing: “Find the good in every soul,” and indeed they do, in almost every track.  

In “Bathroom Light,” the band doesn’t waste a single moment, embracing falling in love in the glow of a bathroom light. And in “Johnson Song,” they bond over the honesty of imperfection. 

From track to track, moving through life feels a little easier. One is likely to be guided, arm in arm, heart to heart, along with lyrics like: “These aren’t heavy things, we just can’t let go” from “Don’t It Feel Good.” And “In love, we got to try, a little love, you just got to try,” from “Ruins.” 

As the whirlwind of pre-spring weather and midterm assignments blows about campus, let the pacifying lyrics and grounding instrumentals of “Orange Blood” be the eye in this mid-semester storm.