By: Ryan Martin
Joyce Manor’s 4th album opens up with a sweet poppy riff and catchy lyrics. "Fake I.D." was the first single for the California pop punk band’s new album, Cody. Joyce Manor is known for their short songs and have released albums that run as short as 13 minutes. Their songs are fast, aggressive and emotional. Cody isn’t like that.
Cody has a more poppy sound to it and can appeal to a wider audience. I wasn’t big on Joyce Manor when I first heard them and I had to see them open for Modern Baseball before I became a fan. Some of their songs sounded like modern emo, shitty, pop punk. So I was reluctant to give them a chance. After seeing them live I became apparent to why they’re so popular. They create songs that people can go fucking nuts to in concert and shout back the lyrics with fierce emotion. When they started playing in the House of Blues in Boston, the crowd I was standing in shifted forward so fast it was if everyone was thrown onto a treadmill. Mosh pits were everywhere and everyone was just having a great time. That’s usually the optimum experience and enviornment you can hope to have when going to a punk show, so I decided to give these guys another chance.
Joyce Manor’s 4th album opens up with a sweet poppy riff and catchy lyrics. "Fake I.D." was the first single for the California pop punk band’s new album, Cody. Joyce Manor is known for their short songs and have released albums that run as short as 13 minutes. Their songs are fast, aggressive and emotional. Cody isn’t like that.
Cody has a more poppy sound to it and can appeal to a wider audience. I wasn’t big on Joyce Manor when I first heard them and I had to see them open for Modern Baseball before I became a fan. Some of their songs sounded like modern emo, shitty, pop punk. So I was reluctant to give them a chance. After seeing them live I became apparent to why they’re so popular. They create songs that people can go fucking nuts to in concert and shout back the lyrics with fierce emotion. When they started playing in the House of Blues in Boston, the crowd I was standing in shifted forward so fast it was if everyone was thrown onto a treadmill. Mosh pits were everywhere and everyone was just having a great time. That’s usually the optimum experience and enviornment you can hope to have when going to a punk show, so I decided to give these guys another chance.
If this band is new to you, this album will be your best entrance. It’s a very friendly indie-punk sound. Songs like “Do You Really Want To Not Get Better?” and “Over Before It Began” show the most vulnerable, softer side of the band that they have shown thus far. Not to say that makes them fantastic tracks. “Over Before It Began” reminds me of how modern rock sounded a couple years back on the radio. Take that how you will. My favorite tracks on the album are “Fake I.D.” which has great lyrics, including a sweet ironic Kanye West reference which haters and fans will eat up with an awesome melody. “Last You Heard Of Me” sounds like an alternative radio song straight out of the 90’s. It reminds me of something off Third Eye Blind’s first album. Lead singer Barry Johnson takes his time with the lyrics on this track and doesn’t shout out lyrics like he is typically known to do. It’s a tight track. “This Song Is A Mess But So Am I” has a really emo title and sounds straight out of a Facebook post from that one weird girl you’re friends with but you don’t really remember why? And she’s still butthurt about MCR breaking up.
Joyce Manor’s new direction reminds me of the direction The Front Bottoms took with their most recent effort, Back On Top. Their most radio-friendly and poppiest album to date. Frontman Brian Sella said that he “probably won't make anything like this again”. Which is acceptable, a band has to change up their sound to create more attention for themselves, which sometimes means breaking into mainstream music. Look at Twenty One Pilots, the best case scenario for indie-music. They're still doing shows and promotions for their album Blurryface, which came out May 2015 which was a massive success with 3 Billboard-topping radio singles. Twenty One Pilots could very well choose not to go in this mainstream direction after touring for Blurryface but regardless that album put them on the map for the future. While Cody may not represent Joyce Manor's entire catalog, it puts them on the map for future and past music to be rediscovered and enjoyed.
If you're a fan of smart, intricate lyrics with catchy melodies, Cody will not disappoint you. It's definitely worth checking out as far as indie rock music goes. I would also recommend going to see them on their fall tour as they're one of the best modern punk acts I've seen perform.
If you're a fan of smart, intricate lyrics with catchy melodies, Cody will not disappoint you. It's definitely worth checking out as far as indie rock music goes. I would also recommend going to see them on their fall tour as they're one of the best modern punk acts I've seen perform.