10 Amazing Albums (That Are Under 30 Minutes)
9. Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor
A leading light of modern emo, Joyce Manor came sprinting out the traps with their self-titled 2011 debut. Taking their cues from hardcore and skate punk influences, it’s a blistering 19 minutes of music which blazes through 10 tracks in 19 minutes which show off the melodic chops, humour, and variety of the band.
On "Famous Friend" and “Beach Community” they take a pop-punk approach, speeding through riffs and bouncy melodies with lyrics that range from the pointed to the oblique. They display a harder edge elsewhere, particularly on “Leather Jacket”, a proper throat-ripper of a vocal take, and “21st Dead Rats”, a song whose energy threatens to derail it at any moment.
They save the best for last, though, with closer “Constant Headache”, the only track to top three minutes (and one of the few to exceed two). It’s a great bit of emo business, indulgently self pitying but bolstered by a huge, chunky riff, brief guitar heroics, and an instantly memorable chorus.