Jonny (The Drums album)

Jonny
Cover used for physical releases and on Bandcamp.
Studio album by
the Drums
ReleasedOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Genre
Length50:57 (standard) 70:27 (deluxe)
LabelAnti-
ProducerJonathan Pierce
The Drums chronology
Brutalism
(2019) 		Jonny
(2023)
Singles from Jonny
  1. "I Want It All"
    Released: April 3, 2023
  2. "Plastic Envelope" / "Protect Him Always"
    Released: May 11, 2023
  3. "Obvious"
    Released: June 8, 2023
  4. "Better"
    Released: July 12, 2023
  5. "Isolette"
    Released: August 16, 2023
  6. "The Flowers"
    Released: September 20, 2023
  7. "Dying"
    Released: October 13, 2023
  8. "The Impossible"
    Released: April 1, 2024

Jonny is the sixth studio album by American indie rock project The Drums. It was released on October 13, 2023, through Anti-.

Background and singles

Ahead of its announcement, the band's current sole member Jonathan Pierce released four singles off the album: "I Want It All" on April 3, "Plastic Envelope" and "Protect Him Always" on May 11, and "Obvious" on June 8, 2023.[4] On July 12, Pierce announced the album and shared the fifth single "Better".[5] A tour through North America spanning six weeks also started that day.[6] The album cover was widely noted for displaying a black-and-white photo of Pierce kneeling naked over a chair, seemingly praying.[7]

On Jonny, Pierce mainly processes his "cult-like" upbringing and its impacts on his present self.[4] In preparation for the record, the musician returned to his childhood home while his parents were away and took pictures of himself in rooms that held strong memories.[8] Looking back at it, he clarified that it helped him make peace with the past, thus making it a "sacred place" for him to worship. He recalled that his first listen to the record had reflected his soul back at him.[9] According to Pierce, the intention of the album is "to honor each and every part of you" with each song being a "hymn to the human heart".[10]

On March 18, 2024, a deluxe edition of the album was announced,[11] which would include five new tracks exclusively recorded for said edition. It was released on April 5, after preceding single "The Impossible" which had been released on April 1.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.2/10[13]
Metacritic75/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Exclaim!7/10[16]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[17]
The Skinny[18]
Under the Radar8/10[19]

Jonny was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 75, based on 8 reviews.[14]

At Under the Radar, writer Andy Steiner gave the release an eight out of ten, calling it "the best album The Drums have made."[19] Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim wrote: "Pierce's sixth album as the Drums is absolutely haunted by sorrow and reclamation. Whether the listener is familiar with the record's back story or not, Jonny nonetheless leaves a lasting impact."[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jonathan Pierce, except where noted.

Jonny - standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Want It All" 4:55
2."Isolette" 2:34
3."I'm Still Scared" 2:13
4."Better" 3:48
5."Harms" 1:47
6."Little Jonny" 1:24
7."Plastic Envelope" 3:17
8."Protect Him Always" 0:54
9."Be Gentle"
  • Jonathan Pierce
  • Johnny Aries
3:55
10."Dying" (featuring Rico Nasty)
3:39
11."Green Grass"
  • Pierce
  • Waylon Rector
3:57
12."Obvious" 3:54
13."The Flowers" 4:22
14."Teach My Body" 4:35
15."Pool God" 4:41
16."I Used to Want to Die" 1:02
Total length:50:57
Jonny - deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
17."I (Still) Don't Know How to Love"4:20
18."The Impossible"4:08
19."When Every Cell is Sad"3:37
20."Noah"2:08
21."Maybe I Was Wrong"5:17
Total length:1:10:27

Personnel

The Drums

Additional contributors

  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Waylon Rector – guitar (tracks 1, 3, 8, 11–14), bass guitar (4, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (7)
  • Adam Markiewicz – strings (tracks 1, 2, 7, 8)
  • Johnny Aries – bass guitar (tracks 4, 12–14), guitar (9, 12–14)
  • Bryan DeLeon – drums (track 9)
  • Maria Kelly – vocals (track 10)
  • Gabe Greenland – production, engineering (track 14)
  • Baltazar Jonnel Dasalla – layout, photo editing
  • Abel Coss – photo editing

References

  1. ^ "The Drums: Jonny". Apple Music. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "The Drums: Jonny Review - sonic catharsis | Indie". The Line of Best Fit.
  3. ^ Yu, Zhenzhen. "The Drums: Jonny". Pitchfork.
  4. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (July 12, 2023). "The Drums – "Better"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Jones, Abby (July 12, 2023). "The Drums Announce New Album Jonny, Share "Better": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Mier, Tomás (April 3, 2023). "The Drums Reflect on 'Loveless Childhood' for Single 'I Want It All'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Reisman, Will (August 15, 2023). "The Drums' Jonny Pierce defiantly mines his troubled past for inspiration". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Droke, Carolyn (October 11, 2023). "Indie Mixtape 20: The Drums Find Forgiveness And Peace With 'Jonny'". Uproxx. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Coffman, Tim (July 12, 2023). "The Drums announce the release of new album 'Jonny'". Far Out. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Taylor, Sam (July 12, 2023). "The Drums have announced a new album 'Jonny'". Dork. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Wild, Stephi. "The Drums Release 'Jonny (Deluxe)' Out This Friday". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  15. ^ Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (October 13, 2023). "The Drums' Jonny is Haunting and Hopeful". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Williams, Lana (October 10, 2023). "Jonny is The Drums' cathartic sonic biography". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Barker, Noah (October 10, 2023). "The Skinny Review". The Skinny. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Steiner, Andy (October 16, 2023). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.