Now I don't normally buy cassettes, I'm more of a vinyl collector. However every now and then I see a tape that is just worth the physical copy despite the lesser audio quality. This was the case recently when I found out Lauren Records of Corona, CA was releasing the first two full-length (although most would hesitate to use that term) Joyce Manor albums both on the same tape for $6. Considering I've been playing both of those records pretty regularly for most of the year, it seemed like a no-brainer.
If you haven't heard them yet, Joyce Manor play dark and angsty pop-punk that draws influence from groups like Weezer and Jawbreaker. In other words, it's catchy and honest punk rock that makes the often-heartbroken feel less alone. The self-titled (originally released on 6131 Records) is a nice serving of straight-up pop punk songs that remind me a lot of the first Alkaline Trio album. You know, before the Hot Topic and mascara. Critically acclaimed on it's release and pretty much instantly rocketing the group to indie-punk stardom within a few months, JM's self-titled album seems poised to end up a classic and clocks in at under 20 minutes. This is the A side of the tape.
Their second album (originally released on Asian Man in the US and Big Scary Monsters in the UK) strips away a lot of the angry tone and leans more in the direction of a pop-rock feel. Although there are still straight-forward and fun punk songs they're sandwiched between jangly pop anthems, an atmospheric acoustic track and one song that sounds like it was recorded in 86' on a Speak'n Spell. All this and their take on "Video Killed The Radio Star" that re-imagines it into what's damn near a skate-punk song. Plenty of fans that were charmed by the short song lengths on the s/t seem less so when faced with the 13 minute run time of OATIWSGT (some refuse to call it an album instead of an EP) and I have to admit it's a little annoying to flip a record every five minutes, however....it's only one side of this cassette! So it's easier to listen all the way through.
It seems to me almost like they wanted to lose some fans on the second release between the sometimes odd production, the grindcore-esque length and the shift in sound, maybe to slow their ascent to stardom? Who knows? Hard to manage when they've toured with Algernon Cadwallader, Desaparecidos, Hop Along, Against Me! and Andrew Jackson Jihad all in one year. Either way I love both of these albums and it's definitely worth the $6 to get one of these while you can. Check out the links below!
BUY THE CASSETTE HERE
BUY THE SELF TITLED ON 12" HERE
BUY OATIWSGT ON 12" HERE
(p.s- neither the band nor the label is selling copies of the s/t so I linked to InSound who have copies in stock. also, the picture of the tape was found online and isn't mine.)
