Jonny is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the Drums. It was released on October 13, 2023, through Anti-.
| Jonny | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover used for physical releases and on Bandcamp. | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 13, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:57 (standard) 70:27 (deluxe) | |||
| Label | Anti- | |||
| Producer | Jonathan Pierce | |||
| The Drums chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Jonny | ||||
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Background and singles
editAhead 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
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[13] |
| Metacritic | 75/100[14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[16] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[17] |
| The Skinny | [18] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[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
editAll tracks are written by Jonathan Pierce, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(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" |
| 3:55 |
| 10. | "Dying" (featuring Rico Nasty) |
| 3:39 |
| 11. | "Green Grass" |
| 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 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
editThe Drums
- Jonathan Pierce – vocals, instrumentation, production, mixing, engineering, art direction
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
edit- ^ "The Drums: Jonny". Apple Music. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Drums: Jonny Review - sonic catharsis | Indie". The Line of Best Fit.
- ^ Yu, Zhenzhen. "The Drums: Jonny". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (July 12, 2023). "The Drums – "Better"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Abby (July 12, 2023). "The Drums Announce New Album Jonny, Share "Better": Stream". Consequence. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (April 3, 2023). "The Drums Reflect on 'Loveless Childhood' for Single 'I Want It All'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Reisman, Will (August 15, 2023). "The Drums' Jonny Pierce defiantly mines his troubled past for inspiration". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Droke, Carolyn (October 11, 2023). "Indie Mixtape 20: The Drums Find Forgiveness And Peace With 'Jonny'". Uproxx. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Coffman, Tim (July 12, 2023). "The Drums announce the release of new album 'Jonny'". Far Out. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Sam (July 12, 2023). "The Drums have announced a new album 'Jonny'". Dork. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ Wild, Stephi. "The Drums Release 'Jonny (Deluxe)' Out This Friday". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (October 13, 2023). "The Drums' Jonny is Haunting and Hopeful". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Lana (October 10, 2023). "Jonny is The Drums' cathartic sonic biography". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ Barker, Noah (October 10, 2023). "The Skinny Review". The Skinny. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Steiner, Andy (October 16, 2023). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved July 16, 2024.