Stand in the Joy

William Prince is not waiting. Not holding his breath, not keeping score, not wishing for what he doesn’t have or hoping for better days. From where he stands, those better days are here. The time to let happiness in, to welcome the good things it brings and to enjoy the good times it makes, is now. Not one day. Today.

William Prince’s new album is a declaration of joy, an active and energized mind and body state. This is what joy feels like, for William. It’s all around. Leading with gratitude, Prince offers his perspective on what it feels like, for him, to love and be loved wholeheartedly. “This record shines a light on one of my greatest sources of strength and happiness: her.” This is Stand in the Joy. 

While memory is what shapes our concept of time, dwelling in the past prevents us from moving beyond old, bad habits that keep breaking connections. In “When You Miss Someone,” which introduces the new album, Prince describes the physical hallmarks of longing. You might not relate exactly to Prince’s example: “you can stand in front of the Eiffel Tower and wish you were in Winnipeg,” but you know the feeling. The twist, Prince’s realization, is that this is just a feeling, and it need not hold you back. Alongside also comes “Tanqueray,” a song that captures the head rush of new love, the kind that sets larger things - including the story of this album - in motion. "I want to be like Johnny Cash, an artist for the people,” says William. And the people drink Tanqueray. 

Time is a major theme throughout, but not simply as nostalgia. If we think about an album as a passage of time, Stand in the Joy is both a summation and a progression. It’s the time spent since 2020, Prince’s last full-length albums. It’s the time spent at home, and then the time spent away from home. Prince marks the great distance he’s traveled, measured in years, geography and emotional growth, with songs like “Only Thing We Need,” and “Young.” The first, written about lockdown, the second, written about Prince’s 16 year old self; both versions are equally of the past, which is where they’ll stay. “I look back now and I almost wouldn’t change it,” says Prince. Most importantly, these songs speak directly to his biggest ask of time: he would only like more of it. 

Three songs come together in a sequence that speaks to the very heart of the matter. The progression goes from “Goldie Hawn,” a reverential ode to women, to “Easier and Harder,” a universal truth about the workings of love, to “Peace of Mind,” a message about not making drama for yourself, and the source of the album’s title with the lyric “I will stand in the joy where I’ve never stood before.” The songs all gather around the sentiments of newness, hope, and corners turned. This is a work of self-actualization; of Prince fully believing in himself. “The things I wished for most in the hard times - peace of mind, love and happiness - are things I now have.”