As the front woman for the Joy Formidable — the Welsh trio whose epic melancholy made them one of the most talked-about bands at South By Southwest — Ritzy Bryan is a heartbreak specialist. In anticipation of the band’s summer tour, we asked her to curate the perfect love-gone-wrong mixtape. Though her selections appeared to come with ease (she e-mailed them in early, via iPhone, adding “I could have made a double album!”), Bryan insists she’s obsessive about her mixtape-ology. “I think variety and momentum are important,” she explains. “But you know how people say you can’t put two quiet songs together? Well, fuck that. I make my own rules.” So click through, listen, and get ready to clutch your heart.
