Mia Joy returns with Star Echo Heavy Dove and a film-inspired single
Mia Joy has announced her second album, Star Echo Heavy Dove, for 15 January 2027 on Fire Talk. Its lead song, Wings of Desire, draws on Wim Wenders’ film and Joy’s account of solitude and emotional vulnerability. Midwife appears on Circle, while a full band expands the arrangements beyond the loop-pedal approach of her debut.
Arts··Midday
A full band follows Spirit Tamer
Chicago musician Mia Joy is preparing Star Echo Heavy Dove, her second album after the 2021 debut Spirit Tamer. Fire Talk has set 15 January 2027 for the release, with Wings of Desire available as its first single. The album draws on songs written across several years. Where the debut largely grew around Joy and her loop pedal, the new arrangements use a full band. Michael Macdonald contributes guitar, bass, organ and synthesiser; Jack Berereton and Jordan Nelson play drums. Scott Rubin adds viola, and Michael Santana plays electric guitar.[1], [2]
Wenders’ film prompts Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire takes its name from Wim Wenders’ 1987 film. Joy says watching it helped her turn an unsettled inner feeling into words: the characters’ solitude and longing reflected experiences she recognised in her own life. She describes the album as returning to a pull between the satisfaction of independence and the vulnerability involved in opening herself to desire. She also connects the film to embracing what life offers, even when doing so brings the risk of being hurt. Nelson directed the accompanying video, drawing on the film while gathering footage of Joy, her friends and her bandmates around Chicago.[1], [2]
Midwife joins Circle on the ten-song album
The ten-track record opens with Star Echo / Heavy Dove. Its sequence also includes 4th of July, Midnight, Wings of Desire, Yes You Can, Easier, Circle, Patience, West and Saturn II. Circle features Madeline Johnston, the musician who records as Midwife. Joy first shared a stage with Johnston in 2018 and began developing Circle in late 2024 while exploring slower, noisier rock. Joy said Johnston’s presence felt essential to the song. Comet, the collaboration with Peel Dream Magazine released last month, sits outside this album’s track list. Spirit Tamer remains the preceding full-length release in Joy’s catalogue.[1], [2]
