Joyce Manor proves their potential by releasing a debut that may end up being one of the best Punk releases of 2011. In just under 20 minutes this album delivers with passion and emotion while having a good time doing so.
Everything about this release oozes freshness. Not since the earlier days of Green Day have we been graced with such grungy, upbeat punk mixed with lyrics that if read alone would make one question the sanity of an individual. These young Californian punks have created a tantrum of music with catchy lyrics and exciting vocals all around. Constant Headache, the final track, is my favorite song of 2011.
Joyce Manor is a great, if insubstantial, reminder of the great, better happy punk bands of the past: that's what this album is more or less, and no more. In effect much like Red City Radio's The Dangers of Standing Still, in this way - which is another 2011 album in the anthemic punk vein you should look into - the album serves as a great re-kindler of the old flame in the punk scene, making sure the music of the genre for the year doesn't taper out and become overly soaked and saturated by this year's dumping of We the Kings[s] and All Time Low[s]. So even if Joyce Manor doesn't offer anything other than a great play-off, it's still worth checking out for punk enthusiasts or particularly those that want their summer afternoon jams to be pleasant and youthful for the season. I'd sooner go with The Bouncing Souls for my fix of that kind of listening, but this isn't bad at all for being new music either.
