Wonderlick Reminds Us That ‘You Are Loved’

New album, Wonderlick Loves You, out Oct. 9

August 19, 2026August 19, 2026 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2026, Appalachia, Jay Blumenfield, Tim Quirk, Too Much Joy, Virginia, Wonderlick, Wonderlick Loves You, You Are Loved

Wonderlick. (Image: Mean People Suck Music)

Wonderlick, the acclaimed extension of college rock heroes Too Much Joy, is back with their seventh full-length, Wonderlick Loves You.

Comprised of TMJ founding members Jay Blumenfield and Tim Quirk, Wonderlick is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with one of their most intriguing works to date, recording the album in Virginia with local experts in traditional Appalachian music. The direction was inspired by a pair of house show tours and binge-watching Les Blank documentaries, which led them to a tiny Appalachian town in Virginia called Floyd, an area seemingly rife with virtuoso old-time music makers.

Working with mobile recording engineer and fiddler Mike Mitchell, a stellar crew of locals was put together, including banjo players, an upright bassist, a drummer and a clog dancer, the team assembled in the Shanti, a meditation center with a wood-burning stove that Jay and Tim felt looked a lot like the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks. Jay’s mom had passed away two days before he got on the plane to Virginia to record the album, adding a level of emotion and gravitas to the sessions as well.

The result is a punky album created with folk instruments, imbued by an undercurrent of sorrow. Among the musicians featured on the LP is Margo McSweeney, a 15-year-old banjo player Tim and Jay saw at a local jamboree whose voice Jay compares to “a vinyl record from the 1920s.” Jay told Tim that he always wanted to make an Astral Weeks-type record, and with Wonderlick Loves You, they have accomplished that goal.

Wonderlick *Wonderlick Loves You*, Mean People Suck Music 2026

Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere the latest single from the forthcoming album entitled “You Are Loved,” the title track of sorts for Wonderlick Loves You whose video is a direct extension of the music’s sweet sentiments.

“We mean our album title, Wonderlick Loves You, literally: Even if you’re not particularly lovable, or are behaving abominably, we recognize our shared humanity, and figure bombarding you with good vibes has a better chance of improving your disposition than simply hating and/or judging you,” Quirk tells us. “‘You Are Loved’ states all this more directly than any other track on the record. The lyric grew out of my bafflement about antitrans folks. I just don’t understand why it’s anybody’s fucking business what someone else does with their body. I understand that it can be awkward and embarrassing if you get someone’s pronouns wrong, but Jesus Christ, that’s no justification for outlawing lifesaving medical treatments for others.

“Most Americans pay lip service to individual freedom, but are far too quick to object when others exercise those freedoms in ways they don’t like. ‘Does it make you sadder than it makes me happy?’ is a question I ask anyone (my wife, most frequently) when they object to something I like doing. If their answer is ever yes, that’s when I figure I should stop doing that thing. My fear is that too many Americans today can only feel happy when people they disagree with are made to feel pain.

“Jay made the video, which is unashamedly manipulative: Who doesn’t love videos of animals being best friends, and want some of that energy in their own lives?”

Wonderlick Loves You will be released Oct. 9 via Mean People Suck Music.