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Jonny
Jonny
	Cover used for physical releases and on Bandcamp.
Studio album by the Drums
Released	October 13, 2023
Genre	Indie pop; electropop; bedroom pop; post-punk; jangle pop; synth-pop;
Length	50:57 (standard) 70:27 (deluxe)
Label	Anti-
Producer	Jonathan Pierce
The Drums chronology
Singles from Jonny
	"I Want It All"; Released: April 3, 2023; "Plastic Envelope" / "Protect Him Always"; Released: May 11, 2023; "Obvious"; Released: June 8, 2023; "Better"; Released: July 12, 2023; "Isolette"; Released: August 16, 2023; "The Flowers"; Released: September 20, 2023; "Dying"; Released: October 13, 2023; "The Impossible"; Released: April 1, 2024;

Jonny is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band 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
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

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

*Jonny* - standard edition
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"	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 tracks
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

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