Review Summary: A drunken sing along.
Joyce Manor is a very straightforward band and it is very easy to understand their appeal. Their blend of emo and pop punk with relatable, down to earth lyrics contained to a short runtime have earned the band a considerable fanbase.
Cody is a small step down from the excellent
Never Hungover Again, but still a respectable album in it’s own right.
Cody sees Joyce Manor strip away some of the raw aggression of their previous work and adopt a more streamlined pop-punk style. Naturally, this style change will have the detractors scream "sell out!" at the top of their lungs; however, it is a natural progression of the band’s sound.
Cody excels in the use of some of the most creative and engaging melodies the band has ever written. Choruses, as per usual for Joyce Manor, are at the forefront of the album with a massive sound that makes you want to sing along. The jangly, bouncy guitars on songs such as “Angel in the Snow” and “Eighteen” harken back to the days of Johnny Marr’s work in The Smiths.
Cody however is not without it’s faults. The second half is less interesting than the first half, as well as being a bit more restrained and a bit boring with songs such as “Last You Heard of Me” but “Make Me Dumb” hits right back with a more aggressive melody that sounds like it was ripped straight from an Offspring song. The short 24-minute runtime makes the less interesting songs more forgivable. “Stairs” is the shining star of the album and one of the best songs they’ve ever written as well as one of the longest, clocking in at a whopping 4 minutes. The song has a massive feel and once again pays homage to post-punk with the jangly guitars and simple drum kick, as well as featuring some of the most massive sing along verses I have ever heard.
Cody is an achievement, as their other albums are; it makes you want to crack open a beer and have a raucous night of fun singing along with your friends. The joys of youthful inexperience.
