Current Joys

Behind Current Joys is Nick Rattigan, who has been developing a solo project since the early 2010s that originated in Nevada, alongside Surf Curse, the duo he formed with Jacob Rubeck. The first Current Joys records, captured in a very direct lo-fi aesthetic—Wild Heart (2013) and Me Oh My Mirror (2015)—mix indie rock, bedroom pop and electric folk in an intimate format marked by raw guitars and diaristic songwriting. With A Different Age (2018), Current Joys broadened its palette toward more constructed pop, where indie melancholy, new wave references and post‑punk tension intersect; Voyager (2021) followed with a more open, cinematic sound. Over the years Rattigan has moved Current Joys between American DIY culture, on‑stage band formats and personal songwriting, without abandoning his approach of working with simple melodies, often restrained tempos and deliberately rough production. The trajectory of Current Joys thus sits within both the recent history of American indie rock and the story of a lo‑fi scene that has moved from home recording to larger forms.