"Whirring" is a song by the Welsh

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band the Joy Formidable. Written by the band, it was originally released on the band's debut EP, '' A Balloon Called Moaning'', in 2009 before being re-released on the band's debut full-length album, ''

The Big Roar ''The Big Roar'' is the debut album by Welsh rock band the Joy Formidable, released in the UK on 24 January 2011 on Atlantic Records, with a US release following on 15 March 2011.

'', in 2011.

Reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

ranked the song No. 68 on its list of the Top 100 Tracks of 2011, with author Amy Phillips writing: "The Joy Formidable aren't headlining soccer stadiums quite yet, but you wouldn't know it from listening to 'Whirring'. An aerobic rush of a song that builds to the kind of explosive alt-rock chorus that would've blown the roof off of '

120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the Alternative rock, alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After it ...

' circa 1995, it's the kind of thing that gets you pumped to run up a steep hill, lift heavy objects, or defeat

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Party leaders of the United States Senate, Republican Leader of th ...

's Presidential run."The Top 100 Tracks of 2011

. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.

Music video

The original music video for "Whirring", directed by Dain Bedford, was released in 2009 and was filmed in Northern Wales.The joy Formidable - Whirring

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2011. A second music video, directed by Christopher Mills, was released on 8 March 2011 on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's website. The 2011 version is a

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

music video featuring the band exploring a house full of cats and them descending deeper and deeper through the house's layers.Newman, Jason
Indie Music Month Video Premiere: The Joy Formidable, 'Whirring'

. March 8, 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011. The 2011 music video was the first video the air on the premiere episode of '' 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield''.‘Whirring’ feat on 120 Minutes Premiere
. The Joy Formidable. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.

In popular culture

A sample of "Whirring" was used for

the Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The th ...

song " YOLO", airing as an

SNL Digital Short An ''SNL'' Digital Short is one in a series of comedic and often musical video shorts created for NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. The origin of the Digital Short brand is credited to staff writer Adam McKay, who created content for the show in ...

on 26 January 2013. "Whirring" is also featured on the soundtrack of the videogame '' Hi-Fi Rush'', released in 2023.

Track listings

All songs written by Ritzy Bryan and Rhydian Dafydd. ;2009 7" Vinyl, Limited EditionJoy Formidable, The – Whirring (Vinyl)

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

. Retrieved 14 December 2011. # "Whirring" - 2:37 #Chwyrlio - 3:52 ;US

Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...

2011 exclusiveJoy Formidable, The – Whirring (Vinyl)

. Retrieved 14 December 2011. #Whirring - 3:17 #Chwyrlio - 4:09

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

{{The Joy Formidable 2011 singles Song recordings produced by Rich Costey The Joy Formidable songs