IN REVIEW: Joyce Manor - "Million Dollars to Kill Me"

On their fifth album, Joyce Manor proves that some things never change; its ten tracks clock in at just 22 minutes, with nary an epic to be found. What has changed is the maturation level heard in Joyce Manor's music, as more and more melody and power-pop elements have developed in the band's songs. Check out the tender acoustic ballad I'm Not the One, or the harmonious thrill of Think I'm Still In Love With You, or the xylophone-punctuated doo-wop of Silly Games for all the evidence you need of the continued progression of Joyce Manor's craft into more accessible directions.

The "punk band whose songwriting talent outgrows punk" trope certainly isn't new (Against Me! and Gaslight Anthem come to mind immediately), but Joyce Manor have always had the melodic chops to easily make the transition into generation-spanning pop/rock anyway so their trajectory to this point shouldn't come as much of a shock to anyone. Go ahead and cry "sellout" if you must, but this band has been too good for too long and Million Dollars to Kill Me is another winner. Some things never change.

September 21, 2018 • Epitaph
Highlights Think I'm Still In Love With You • Silly Games • Gone Tomorrow

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