The pandemic has been pretty shitty for a lot of people. Add in the effect it has had on the music and entertainment industry, and you’ll begin to understand just how difficult it was to try and remain creative. Or, in the case of Joywave, you spend a full 18 months prepping for your sprawling and well-conceived third album called Possession, and it becomes almost DOA as the world shut down around the band and others. The band described these feelings on a recent Facebook post by saying, “It was crushing to watch everything we had worked so hard to roll out in just the right way obliterated in an instant.But creatively, the timing couldn’t have been better. Something more positive began to emerge. With our dense touring schedule shelved, I was able to reflect on past travels and appreciate them in a new way. But reminders of our fragile mortality were everywhere, punctuated by the ongoing pandemic and civil unrest. The music began to encompass all of this. It became the words, encouragement, and occasional cautions that I would want to share with you if this was the last time we spoke. And with all this time spent looking inward came the realization that there were still a few chips I was carrying on my shoulder that I needed to let go of. Maybe you have those too.One of my first jobs ever was at a car wash. I thought of the band, after years spent on the road taking a breather. Going through that wash process. Watching all the dirt and mud stripped away. Coming out the other side refreshed and rejuvenated. Still having experienced everything from before, but no longer wearing the scars.” The era of Cleanse has arrived for Joywave, and the timing appears to finally be in their favor.