Joyce Manor - Million Dollars to Kill Me

Joyce Manor is a California based Indie Rock and Pop Punk band that for a few years now, has really stolen my heart.  They debuted with a short, self-titled debut in 2011 that wasn't mind-blowing but did a great job of ushering into the band's sound.  Also, tracks like "Beach Community" showed that right off the bat Joyce Manor knew how to write an undeniably catchy Pop Punk tune.  But let me tell you, Joyce Manor absolutely took off with their short and sweet 2012 album "Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired".  This was a speedy, incredibly catchy Pop Punk and Emo album that just seemed to have the band firing on all cylinders.  Tracks like "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "If I Needed You There" were upbeat and fun Pop Punk tunes with such a carefree sense to it that it was ridiculous.  But at the same time, "Drainage" also showed that the band could come through easily with a more stripped down emotional number that was just as powerful.  By 2014's "Never Hungover Again" this had become a true science.  The production was classy and the playing was heavier, but Joyce Manor really didn't stray far from just how emotional and catchy these tracks were.  Not to mention, at 19 minutes this was their longest album yet, but it seemed complete. Joyce Manor returned in 2016 with "Cody", their most polished and well thought out project to date.  And honestly, I don't get the hate that this album gets.  Tracks like "Make Me Dumb" and "Angel In The Snow" are fantastic deep cuts, and "Fake I.D." was catchy enough to blast into my top 50 singles of that year.  However, I did think that some of the lighter moments like "Do You Really Want To Not Get Better" weren't nearly as effective as they could have been.  SO Joyce Manor is back, and from the sound of these singles, really haven't missed a beat.  Let's chat!

(A personal favorite of mine!)

This album starts off with “Fighting Kangaroo”, which is actually a pretty solid start that makes me excited to hear the rest of the album.  No, this isn’t as Punky or as upbeat as their early material.  But man, vocally Joyce Manor have never sounded so intact.  I love the group vocals and the quirky, personality fueled verses.  Joyce Manor sound very human and very down to earth, that’s for sure.  There are also some really great Power Pop elements thrown in as well, making for a really solid intro.  Then we have “Think I’m Still In Love With You” which is a little grungier sounding and less polished.  And honestly, it comes off solid, in a way it almost has a 90’s sound to it.  And vocally, I still think Joyce Manor have really peaked because this is already catchier than anything from “Cody”.  Not this still isn’t that upbeat, and this has been a pretty slow paced album so far.  But Joyce Manor has been pulling it off, and are writing insanely catchy material too.  Now with “Big Lie”, it’s becoming obvious that frontman Barry Johnson has never sounded so up front and personal.  And honestly, that’s what makes tracks like this work for the band.  The performances are emotional and charismatic, and this may be the catchiest track of the bunch yet, ESPECIALLY instrumentally.  I love the hypnotic passages and I really love the anthemic guitars sprinkled throughout.  And the second half is just so fantastic with Barry screaming his damn lungs out, almost reminding me of the early days of Against Me!  But it continues to be some of these acoustic tracks that keep bucking things up a big for me and keep getting me out of the groove.  This is certainly a big step up from some of the softer moments on “Cody”, that’s for sure.  And there are plenty more catchy moments with this one, and I do enjoy the cynical side of this one.  It’s certainly one of the better acoustic tunes from Joyce Manor, but I’m still on the fence with this style coming from them. 

The Power Pop vibes continue to be gigantic for this album.  Which I really don’t mind, it adds a new dimension to the music of Joyce Manor.  But why do I feel like this is just a step back?  Lyrically, this doesn’t really feel like a Joyce Manor tune, this sounds like a cover of a B-List track on the American Pie soundtrack.  It’s just so cheesy and phoned in, and doesn’t have nearly the amount of personality that some of the other tracks here have had.  Instrumentally, ti’s still confident and all.  But call me crazy if I feel like Joyce Manor is just so much better than this.  “Silly Games” is a slightly better tune, as Joyce Manor by this point has gone full-on Pop.  Like, this is practically a retro Pop ballad by this point.  And it’s not terrible honestly, some of these harmonies are actually really classy, and at the very least there’s some emotion and passion here, even if Joyce Manor continue to drop the ball on songwriting a little.  But this one at least has a carefree vibe to it that’s pretty sweet.   Then we have “Friends We Met Online”, and whoa nelly.  Hey guys, remember Punk Rock?  Man, we are literally 7 tracks in and we’re finally getting an upbeat track.  And honestly, it may just be that fact alone, but this track excites the hell out of me.  But it remains just as catchy and is surprisingly one of the more well-written tracks on here.  Everything is here for Joyce Manor.  The harmonies are on point, the songwriting is quirky, they have tons of personality, there’s no reason they can’t come through with a genuine Punk classic in the future.  For an upbeat Punk-Rocker, this is a great tune.  And honestly, “Up The Punx” is a fantastic medium for the band.  It’s not the upbeat Pop Punk vibes that they got big with.  But it’s determined and they sound fine.  Not to mention, as far as a passionate performance goes, this is the most memorable of the bunch.  I love the patient verses here, as well as the backing vocals and just how catchy and well written this is.  Say what you will about the boys of Joyce Manor, but when they show up for work they sound great. 

But I still have all of these very mixed feelings on these acoustic cuts like “Gone Tomorrow”.  Like, they’ve certainly come a long way from these teary-eyed ballads that seemed out of place on their previous work.  And this at least has a really emotional sound and actually has some pretty epic instrumentation.  Nut even with all of that this comes off a little cheesy.  This album ends off with “Wildflowers”, and for all of the Punk fans out there this probably was a little bit of a let down for you.  Because this is a very fluttery and sweet track to have as a finale.  And honestly, I may have wished it was a little more aggressive as well.  But it’s not bad, especially not with the more Pop-Punk and Power Pop sounds.  It’s not the catchiest track of the bunch, but it wraps this album up nicely, and I do enjoy the sunnier instrumentals here. 

Rating: 7.6/10

Give A Listen To: “Fighting Kangaroo”, “Think I’m Still In Love With You”, “Friends We Met Online”, “Up the Punx”

Least Favorite Track: “Million Dollars To Kill Me”

Genre: Emo / Pop Punk / Power Pop

Overall Thoughts: Joyce Manor continues down their much more Pop-oriented path with this new album.  And honestly, it’s not terrible.  Sure, it may not be as Punk at heart, but a lot of what made Joyce Manor such a great act at first is still well on display.  These guys are still writing some of their catchiest material to date in a big way, and the amount of personality that these guys have is still ridiculous.  But that also means that a lot of the same issues that have haunted these guys for years are still hanging around in a big way.  The acoustic tracks are still average at best, and I do wish that this album was heavier in parts.  But still, this is decent.