Pebble Brain

Lovejoy was formed in 2021 and debuted with the EP Are You Alright?, released on 8 May 2021.[3][4] The same month, the band appeared on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart at number 10.[5] All four of the EP's tracks peaked on the UK Independent Singles Chart, with "One Day" at number 5 and positions in four other international charts.[6]

On 14 October 2021, following the release of numerous track demos online, Pebble Brain was released digitally.[7] Frontman Wilbur Soot, real name William Gold, revealed the EP had taken over a year to complete,[8] and that the track "Perfume" originally did not make the final cut.[9] One year after its original release, the EP received its first pressing to vinyl as a compilation with Are You Alright?[10]

Critics found Pebble Brain's lyricism to concern two main themes – relationships and politics.[11][12] Opening track "Oh Yeah, You Gonna Cry?" is written from the "point of view of someone watching the current relationship of a potential romantic interest come to an end", and is thematically similar to "Concrete", written about a failed relationship.[13] Sonically, reviewers found tracks to maintain "familiar horns, exciting percussion, and similar guitar riffs", however such repetitive instrumentation made tracks "truly lack distinction from each other".[13] Political allusions can be found in tracks "Model Buses" and "You'll Understand When You're Older", regarding then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that "he makes model buses in his free time", and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service workers respectively.[11] "The Fall", written about the "wealthy upper class", stood out to reviewers for its "higher emphasis on the dark bass to the lyrical message to [Gold's] speech at the end, an awe-inspiring mix between spoken word and rap".[14] In terms of production, the EP was criticised by some outlets for issues with mixing, with one explaining "the lead singer's voice is sometimes hard to hear over the high-energy drums and guitar".[13]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]

The EP received generally positive reviews.[16] Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote Pebble Brain features "improved production value" compared to their debut, concluding "[Gold's] song subjects are sometimes as frenetic as the band's delivery, but are often quite enjoyable".[15] A reviewer for Teen Ink found flaws in the closing track, writing "the beat was unattractive, and the song as a whole felt rushed and uninteresting", though highly praised "Perfume" as "a much easier track to appreciate the poetical essence Lovejoy crafts".[17]

All tracks are written by Ash Kabosu, Joe Goldsmith, Mark Boardman and William Gold.[8]

Notes

• "It's All Futile! It's All Pointless!" is a re-recording of a track on Gold's 2019 EP, Maybe I Was Boring.[18]

This section is adapted from Genius.[8]

• William Gold – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter
• Joe Goldsmith – lead guitar, songwriter
• Ash Kabosu – bass, songwriter
• Mark Boardman – drums, songwriter
• Sam Coveney – producer

• Are You Alright? / Pebble Brain at Discogs