ALBUM REVIEW: Joyce Manor - 40 oz In Fresno
In a society where we shy away from labels when it comes to music we seem more keen than ever to categorise and put bands in specific pigeonholes. Time ago Joyce Manor would simply have been called Alt Rock now that's not specific enough they have to be classified further and lumped into the Pop Punk genre. Now I love Pop Punk and have listened to enough of it in my time to know Joyce Manor are not it. Sure some songs are very Pop Punk-esque but others fall short of the genre in every way. There's a mix of indie, pure punk and all kinds of other styles and genres thrown in for good measure. As a whole they are incomparable to another band because to be honest most of the time you can't even compare them to themselves!
40 oz. to Fresno is a gem of an album, but at just over 16 minutes long blink and you miss it!
Kicking off proceedings is the longest song on the record at 3 minutes and a few seconds "Souvenir". I can't unhear how much singer Barry sounds like Morrissey on this track with his deep, slightly theoretical over articulated vocals. I love it, it's a great opener and pretty different from the rest of the record!
Next up is some fast paced punk in the form of "NBTSA" it's short and sweet but it makes you want to grab a beer and get your stomp on!
"Reason to Believe'' brings the pace down with some cute jangly guitars and a great indie sound. Only issue with this song is at 1 minute 25 seconds it feels like it ends prematurely.
"You're Not Famous Anymore" is packed with melodic indie attitude and swagger. The chorus reminds me of a more raw version of Teenage Fanclub.
The next track "Don't Try" is a ska-ish verse with a melodic, infectious Pop Punk style chorus and a sweet little riff!
Plodding "Gotta Let It Go" starts off sounding like a less boring version of Coldplay before building into some raw, slightly unclean vocals.
"Dance With Me" is some seriously upbeat indie with heaps of danceability; however, on a closer listen you realise the song tackles the dark matter of addiction.
"Did You Ever Know?" is indie rock infused with Pop Punk tendencies.
The album ends on "Secret Sisters" which is pure rock with a massive sound and epic vocals.
I enjoyed this album, in sound it's perfect from start to finish. The only negative, if you can call it that, was it felt too short. I'm all for short and sweet. I often find myself skipping 5 or 6 minute songs well before the end but some of the tracks were cut off in their prime just as they were getting started.
The band is really interesting and their sound can't be predicted from one song to the next. Despite having amassed almost half a million monthly Spotify listens and having released another 7 albums this California based trio had passed me by until now. I'll definitely be giving their older stuff a listen and with such an extensive back catalogue to get through I'll probably be grateful most of their songs are only a couple of minutes long!
