The Swell Season are Glen Hansard (from the Irish band the Frames) and Mdarketa Irglova (classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist). In 2007, Once, a film about two people meeting and falling in love on the streets of Dublin, became an indie phenomenon, as audiences everywhere responded to the unassuming charm of the two leads: Glen and Marketa. Now comes the much anticipated album follow-up to the Once soundtrack: Strict Joy.

The band returns to map the rocky peaks and valleys of relationships in songs like the haunting 'I Have Loved You Wrong,' a Marketa feature, and the driving, anthemic 'The Rain.'