LOS ANGELES, CA- I first saw Lovejoy back in August 2023 at Bleached Festival at Waterfront Park. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with their catalog, but what struck me immediately was the undeniable stage presence of the band. The crowd gathered at their set seemed to know every note and every lyric, and the atmosphere was electric — it felt like the audience was there not just for the songs, but for the shared experience and connection that Lovejoy had already mastered. That moment left an impression, and with their new single “Common Touch,” it’s clear the band has only deepened that bond with fans.
“Common Touch” leans into a kind of post-funk groove, with guitarist Joe Goldsmith opening the track on an effervescent riff that feels nostalgic yet firmly contemporary. The rhythm has a looseness that gives the track an edge, a natural push-and-pull that mirrors the lyrical tension at its core.
Frontman Will Gold sets the tone with surreal imagery: “Use that key and make me bleed, radiator / And off-season, there’s not a devil in hell who would turn down the chance to meet her.” The lines are vivid and jagged, like snapshots pulled from dimly lit casinos or bruised skies. Later, Gold leans into biting humor and irreverence with the sneered refrain of “fuckin’ Teresa” . Equal parts playful and cutting.
The chorus, though, is where the disaffection fully crystallizes:
“What do you want? I would not care enough to know / And further on, I still won’t care enough to know.”
It’s a striking moment of emotional distance, almost an anthem for apathy. But beneath the bluntness there’s also an acknowledgment of possibility: “I could lift you up, give a further thought / I could bleach your name in the crowd.” They seem to thrive in that tension; balancing detachment with yearning, insincerity with vulnerability.
The accompanying video heightens the song’s sense of overstimulation and numbness. Each band member plays a character in different TV shows, while Gold sits glazed over in an armchair, flipping through them all. It’s a clever metaphor for the way modern life bombards us with options yet leaves us strangely unfulfilled — a visual echo of the song’s lyrical contradictions.
“Common Touch” is the third single Lovejoy have released this year, and their fifth since their 2023 EP Wake Up & It’s Over. That record debuted at #5 on the Official U.K. Album Chart and cemented the band’s reputation as one of indie rock’s fastest-rising names. Their debut EP Pebble Brain charted at #12 in 2021, while their first release Are You Alright?has since racked up over 500 million Spotify streams. Each project has built momentum, and One Simple Trick… due October 3… promises to be their boldest statement yet.
The album itself was, as the band put it, “four years of overthinking,” but if “Common Touch” is any indication, the overthinking has paid off. It’s sharp, memorable, and filled with the kind of lyrical wit and restless energy that fans have come to expect.
And those fans are about to have plenty of chances to hear it live. Lovejoy kick off their North American headline tour on October 18, with stops at New York’s Webster Hall, Los Angeles’ Wiltern, Chicago’s House of Blues, DC’s 9:30 Club, and more. It’s their first U.S. tour since 2023, when they sold over 25,000 tickets on their debut run, and demand is likely to be even higher this time around.
“Common Touch” is proof that Lovejoy aren’t just keeping pace with their audience. They’re growing right alongside them. The song takes the messy contradictions of apathy and longing and turns them into something strangely unifying. If their live shows are any indication, fans will be ready to shout every word back at them.
