Ari Howorth
Staff Writer
Punk rock band Joyce Manor’s new album, “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired,” sticks to the thrash punk roots that gained the band praise but minor experimentation successfully diversifies the group’s style.
“Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” is a positive step away from Joyce Manor’s first self-titled album. While much of the album is the same punk rock that listeners are used to, there are some aberrations in style, with some slower and happier tracks than the band has produced before. All of these are just as enjoyable and add to the album as a whole.
Joyce Manor is from Long Beach, and consists of members Barry Johnson, Chase Knobbe, Matt Ebert, and Kurt Walcher. “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” is their second studio release after a self-titled album and an EP.
Even though the album has different styles of songs, some slower than expected, each contains the band’s lively energy. It is this omnipresent energy that defines the album and makes every track as engaging as the previous one.
The best track on the album is “Bride of Usher,” which is more upbeat than most of their songs. It is the happiest song on the album, and proves that Joyce Manor is able to branch out of their punk rock roots, and utilize a style reminiscent of beach rock to still sound enjoyable.
The most intriguing track on the album is a cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. From the beginning, it sounds like a completely different song, but as they reach the chorus it is apparent that this is indeed a unique version of the 80’s pop classic, as they repeat the title phrase only once, using a much harsher singing voice.
The song “Drainage” is an acoustic, eerie song that is placed in the middle of the album, acting as an interesting break in the fast majority of the album. The band has never recorded a slow song like this before. It begins and ends with a creepy piano line. Even though it is a short song about love, it comes off as creepy and is a stark contrast to the rest of the album.
Similarly, the final song on the album, “I’m Always Tired,” is acoustic and should feel varied from the other track. This, however, is not the case as it is fast with loud vocals that is similar to the rest of the album. This makes for a fitting end to the album.
“Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” is a brief but fun album, that continues the enjoyable style of Joyce Manor. It does, however, implement new techniques and a few different types of songs, that give the album more depth and uniqueness from their previous releases. “Of All Things I will Soon Grow Tired” was released digitally on April 3 and physically on April 17. It is available on iTunes for $8.91 and is sold in select music stores.
Leave a Reply