Slow Joy’s debut A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming is a raw and resonant statement
Out today via Mick Music, A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming marks the debut full-length from Slow Joy, the project of Dallas-based, New Mexican-born Chicano artist Esteban Flores.
Produced by: Mike Sapone
A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming is a sweeping and emotionally charged exploration of identity, grief, and resilience, shaped by Flores’s experience as a Mexican-American artist. Produced by Mike Sapone and recorded between Ghost Hit Recording in Massachusetts and Sonic Ranch in Texas, the album blends shoegaze textures, grunge distortion, and punk emotionality into a cohesive narrative arc. Flores uses recurring masked figures — the Bull and the Sugar Skull — across album visuals and music videos to give form to the chaos and sorrow embedded in the songs. Each track contributes to the album’s larger story, with earlier singles ‘Here For You,’ ‘Gruesome,’ and ‘Wound’ establishing a sonic world that is as dynamic as it is deeply personal.
One of the album’s most powerful moments comes on ‘Te Amo,’ which premiered via FLOOD Magazine ahead of the release. Inspired by a voice memo of his grandmother teaching him how to say the phrase properly, Flores channels his cultural pride and emotional depth into a track that builds from intimate memory to cathartic release.
Flores states:
“A Joy So Slow At Times I Don’t Think It’s Coming is my first album in my entire life. It’s a celebration of the complexities of life drawing from all the colors of emotion. From ecstatic to disparaging, from lighthearted to dark, the album is everything I wanted my debut to be. It’s meant to be listened to from start to finish and take you on a journey through the stories of life, love, and grief.”
With this debut, Esteban Flores establishes Slow Joy as a powerful new voice in alternative music — unafraid to feel deeply, speak honestly, and embrace the full spectrum of being.
Standout Songs: ‘Gruesome,’ ‘Bent,’ ‘Here For You,’ and ‘Do I Wear You Out.’
Release Date: May 16, 2025
6.9
We’ve covered Slow Joy previously: ‘Here For You, and ‘Wound.’
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