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