Joyce Manor - Never Hung Over Again (14/08/2014)
The current world of punk is pretty much the busiest the genre has been in 30 years. With the internet letting DIY bands sneak out to a massive audience, the influence of some of the strangest of noises, tfw and a massive resurgence in the popularity of emo, it seems like the perfect time to distract yourselves from your inevitable future toiling in the salt mines by diving into your local scene. And leading the charge of this new wave of bummed out punk is L.A. locals Joyce Manor.
Already having sealed their place in the genre with an extravagant but relatable self-titled debut and the slightly more toned down Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired, there's been a bit of a buzz around the Joyce estate. The hype only increased after the band announced they had signed to major label Epitaph (which you may remember from such bands as Thursday and Alkaline Trio). Finally, mid-July, Joyce Manor released their much awaited third album Never Hungover Again to the masses. So is it the real deal? Or are we just looking at another quick recipe? |
Never Hungover Again was written and recorded in the space of two weeks, which is a shocking fact when you actually listen to the thing. The instrumentation is wildly original with twinkling guitars bombarding tracks like End of the Summer and Heated Swimming Pool, while still retaining some sense of familiarity throughout the album as a whole. Most tracks are completely different from Joyce Manor's style, but songs like the single Catalina Fight Song bring back bright images of the party anthems the band used to craft. However, this does feel more like a throwback reference to their roots, so another album of scream along hooks is still ridiculously unlikely in the future.
Despite clocking in at a little less than 19 minutes, the album never really feels too short. There always tends to be something new happening at every second moment to keep even those with the most internet ravaged attention span occupied. There are one or two exceptions to the rule, but tallying up to all of 30 seconds wrong it's nothing to lose sleep over.
Those with a stigma against major labels in punk (sidebar: do those people even exist anymore?) will be happy to know that while a very different release, Never Hungover Again still feels like a Joyce Manor album. There are still cried vocals. There are still solos aplenty. And there are still lines that will make you feel like you've been punched in the gut. Really, the only out of place thing is that for once it doesn't sound like everyone gathered in a circle room and recorded into a single mic.
There's been quite a lot of talk around this album. Not just in the seedy underbellies of Internet DIY forums, but all over the place. With Never Hungover Again, Joyce Manor finally has the attention of a world stage. And don’t let the length of the album fool you, they've got a lot to talk about.
Ben Spencer
Despite clocking in at a little less than 19 minutes, the album never really feels too short. There always tends to be something new happening at every second moment to keep even those with the most internet ravaged attention span occupied. There are one or two exceptions to the rule, but tallying up to all of 30 seconds wrong it's nothing to lose sleep over.
Those with a stigma against major labels in punk (sidebar: do those people even exist anymore?) will be happy to know that while a very different release, Never Hungover Again still feels like a Joyce Manor album. There are still cried vocals. There are still solos aplenty. And there are still lines that will make you feel like you've been punched in the gut. Really, the only out of place thing is that for once it doesn't sound like everyone gathered in a circle room and recorded into a single mic.
There's been quite a lot of talk around this album. Not just in the seedy underbellies of Internet DIY forums, but all over the place. With Never Hungover Again, Joyce Manor finally has the attention of a world stage. And don’t let the length of the album fool you, they've got a lot to talk about.
Ben Spencer