{"id":69837,"date":"2018-09-18T16:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=69837"},"modified":"2018-09-17T19:30:38","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T18:30:38","slug":"review-joyce-manor-million-dollars-to-kill-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-joyce-manor-million-dollars-to-kill-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Joyce Manor – Million Dollars To Kill Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the seven years since their iconic self-titled debut dropped, Joyce Manor<\/strong> have sonically changed a lot, but they\u2019ve always been discernibly themselves. Over the years they\u2019ve transitioned from punk-tinged rock to heart-crushing indie and influenced a generation of current emo bands on the way. Their music has tastefully aged as they\u2019ve progressed, and their latest album \u2018Million Dollars To Kill Me\u2019<\/em> is their most mature yet.<\/p>\n

The title track is the most reminiscent one here of their older hits. The best Joyce Manor<\/strong> tracks in the past have leaned on (often brutally) honest analysis of relationships and self-evaluation, and this is no exception. The lyrics look at someone who doesn\u2019t appreciate the relationship they\u2019re in, and the darkness that surrounds that. Vocalist Barry Johnson delivers lines like \u201cYou are nothing without her, you\u2019re an asshole\u201d<\/em> with such calmness that the vicious meaning would almost feel lost without the distorted guitars backing it up.<\/p>\n

His signature vocal performance sounds perfectly emotive throughout the album, every feeling given out throughout is genuine and powerful, even in more subdued moments.\u00a0‘Think I\u2019m Still In Love With You’<\/em>\u00a0manages to bounce between energetic deliveries and scathing honesties. \u201cTake a bunch of pills and crash into me\u201d<\/em> is thrown away in a\u00a0way that almost doesn\u2019t acknowledge its poignant power.<\/p>\n