Joyce Manor, Vundabar, Peach Kelli Pop

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Dan Monick

Joyce Manor

For years, Joyce Manor mastered the art of short, punchy punk songs, with their first three albums clocking in at less than an hour combined. Then came 2016’s Cody, an ambitious effort that wasn’t just longer, but richer than anything the California punks had done before. The influence of everyone from Elvis Costello to Elliott Smith is audibly present, specifically in Barry Johnson’s wry, self-deprecating songwriting. Now Joyce Manor is gearing up to release their fifth LP, Million Dollars to Kill Me, and if its title track is any indication, the band isn’t done growing quite yet. With Vundabar, Peach Kelli Pop.

$22 ($18 adv.; ages 18+).

press release: On September 21, Joyce Manor released their fifth full-length effort, Million Dollars to Kill Me. The album follows 2016’s critically lauded release Cody. 

Joyce Manor have shared a lyric video for the title track from Million Dollars to Kill Me. With its Britpop-esque hooks and driving guitar riffs, “Million Dollars to Kill Me” centers on Joyce Manor’s understated-yet-poignant lyrics (e.g., “Nobody tells you it hurts to be loved”).

Produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, Million Dollars to Kill Me came to life at Ballou’s own GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. During the recording process, Joyce Manor guitarist/vocalist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, bassist Matt Ebert, and new drummer Pat Ware slept right upstairs in bunk beds. “Kinda felt like camp,” Johnson notes. Additionally, Million Dollars to Kill Me was mixed by Andrew Scheps (Weezer, AFI, Green Day).