Everyone has those bands that you just can’t stand at first but eventually you go back and listen to them and pinch yourself for not appreciating the beauty of their work earlier. For me, Joyce Manor is one of those bands. Some call them pop punk, but personally I just don’t think this four member band from Torrance, California can fit under one genre.
Ever since they announced their new album “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” back at the beginning of the year I’ve been [not so] patiently waiting , and even resisting the temptation to listen to any singles. When I first got my hands on “Of All Things…” I was a bit shocked. The first thing I noticed was the album length. Coming in at 13 minutes, this is the shortest album I own and shorter than most EPs as well. Joyce Manor isn’t exactly known for long, elaborate songs but blowing through this album in under 15 minutes was quite a disappointment. Only two songs clock in above the two minute mark but as early punk bands have shown us, you don’t find quality in the length of the song.
One thing that really stands out about Joyce Manor are the vocals and the lyrics. Immediately in the first song “These Kind of Ice Skates” you get the feel what Joyce Manor has in store for you. Unique vocals, odd lyrics, simple yet fun guitar riffing and drum work are all part of the package. After a few spins you will surely begin singing along and after a few days find that the songs are still in your head. As for the rest of the album, the music is never constant and there is something new in every track. Once the song “See How Tame I Can Be?” came on I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely call this their weirdest song but it’s also now one of my favorites. There are two acoustics on this album as well, but both are ridiculously short and in my opinion, the weakest songs on the album.
Another surprise I got was about halfway through the album. When I was looking over all of the song titles one really stuck out to me. When I first saw “Video Killed the Radio Star” I thought it must just be the title of the song and surely not a cover. When the song eventually came up and began, I didn’t even recognize it as a cover until the chorus hit. After fifteen listens I still haven’t decided if I like it or not so I’ll let you be the deciding factor on that one.
Overall, I thought this album was excellent but certainly not better than their self titled. Some of the songs, while keeping the Joyce Manor style, seemed to be more bland but still enjoyable. The tracks you should be sure to check out are “These Kind of Ice Skates”, “See How Tame I Can Be?”, and “Violent Inside”. Some of the things I really love about this album is how no two songs sound the same and how energetic the whole thing is. The one thing that really upset me was the length but other than that I love “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” and it will surely please both new and older fans.
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