Jonny (The Drums album)

2023 studio album by the Drums

Jonny

Cover used for physical releases and on Bandcamp.

Studio album by

the Drums

Released| October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Genre|

* Indie pop
* electropop[1]
* bedroom pop[2]
* post-punk
* jangle pop[3]
* synth-pop

Length| 50:57 (standard) 70:27 (deluxe)
Label| Anti-
Producer| Jonathan 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate 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

[edit]

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

Jonny \- standard editionNo.| 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"|

* Jonathan Pierce
* Johnny Aries

| 3:55
10.| "Dying" (featuring Rico Nasty)|

* Pierce
* Maria Kelly

| 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 tracksNo.| 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

[edit]

The 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]

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.

* v
* t
* e

The Drums

* Discography

Studio albums|

* The Drums
* Portamento
* Encyclopedia
* Abysmal Thoughts
* Brutalism
* Jonny

Extended plays|

* Summertime!

Singles|

* "Let's Go Surfing"
* "Money"

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template