Killjoy (Coach Party album) explained

Killjoy
Type:studio
Artist:Coach Party
Cover:Coach Party - Killjoy.png
Alt:Four skeletons with smiling faces seated against a red background, with the band name above them in white and the album title in black at the bottom right
Length:27:32
Label:Chess Club
Producer:Guy Page
Prev Title:Nothing Is Real
Prev Year:2022

Killjoy is the debut album by British indie rock group Coach Party, released on 8 September 2023 through Chess Club Records. It was produced by the group's drummer Guy Page.

Critical reception

Killjoy received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Joshua Mills of The Line of Best Fit called it "a fully formed, impactful album" with "pristine" production that "swaps the insular indie" of the band's first three EPs "for a glossy, layered effort". Under the Radar Andy von Pip found it to be "filled with relatable lyrics" and that the band "have cranked up the noise and distortion, and the results have paid dividends". Reviewing the album for NME, Andy Brown opined that Killjoy is "often catchy and always from the heart" as well as "a deeply human debut", writing that the band's "polished sound benefits massively from the odd punk outburst". James Mellen of Clash described it as "a wickedly nihilistic manifesto of stadium proportions" with "huge soaring riffs, heavy breakdowns and plenty of earworm choruses".