Artist: Joyce Manor
Album: Of All the Things I will Soon Grow Tired
Label: Asian Man Records
Genre: Punk

Joyce Manor sounds like a band that came from California. They’re loud, they’re catchy, and they always seem to be having more fun than I’m having, which sometimes can be a depressing way of looking at music.  Joyce Manor’s self-titled is a punk kid’s dream. With screaming hooks, happy but aggressive chord changes and a sense of honesty that will make any man blush, it’s an absolutely fantastic record (I just got around to listening to it a few weeks ago, and I’ve been in love ever since. Sue me for being late to the party). These qualities are still somewhat present in Joyce Manor’s latest release Of All the Things I Will Soon Grow Tired, but there seems to be a piece missing. This record is really good, but after a listen through of it’s short run time of around 12 minutes, something about this full-length (if it can be called that) seems off.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing Joyce Manor. These guys are fantastic at what they do. The entire time I listened to this new release I found myself bobbing my head throughout, enjoying the overall vibe of the record. “Comfortable Clothes” is a really catchy song that I want to sing back into the microphone the minute I eventually will hear it live. However the problem I found with this record is that a lot of the songs tend to blend together and become forgettable, almost like filler for the stand out tracks. While sometimes these filler tracks are okay, I don’t really like it for this release since the timing is so short. However the few gems on the record, such as the completely reworked cover version of “Video Killed the Radio Star”, make the filler songs worth listening through in order to get to the real great ones. Joyce Manor does a good job of slowing down when they need to slow down and they recognize the points where they need to pick up the pace. I enjoyed the last track on the record “I’m Always Tired,” due to it’s lo-fi acoustic touch, but like the entirety of the record it proves to be too short and almost unfinished.

I decided that I was going to keep this review short because Joyce Manor did the same. They got in, they got out, and they put out a new record. I personally feel that despite a few great songs, this album was put together rather quickly, and it shows. An unfulfilled feeling is not my favorite after listening to a new band or album, and Of All the Things I will Soon Grow Tired left me wondering if I was missing a few songs or was the record just that short. Check out the record for yourself, as I’m sure it’s to polarize fans of the band, but as for me, I’m going to stick with their self titled because to me it’s a really fresh piece of work that I want to delve more into.

Score: 7/10

FFO: Jawbreaker, Spraynard, The Sidekicks

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Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

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