Last year, LA-based singer/songwriter/producer Joy Downer made her TV debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden with none other than Beck grooving on bass in her band. Today, the alt-rock hero turns up again on her dreamy new single, "Chain Reaction," her first release since 2020's debut album, Paper Moon. The song also features guitar work from Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and percussion by Lauren Brown.
Downer and Beck sing about the challenges of putting the needs of loved ones before ourselves, while struggling to communicate our own needs. "Tell me what you like," Beck sings on the track. "Tried to tell you the truth with my eyes about a hundred times." Downer describes it like being in an airplane and oxygen masks deploy. “I know I’m supposed to put mine on," she says, "but I can’t shake wanting to help others first. This song is an ode to those of us that deeply struggle with that concept.”
The song— out now across streaming platforms—will also see a vinyl release on McCready’s Hockey Talkter Records via Third Man Pressing.
Listen to the track below and catch Downer's return to James Corden to perform the song on April 26.
