Joyce Manor

Spinning the raw emotions and unfettered delivery of power pop and emo, California outfit Joyce Manor emerged in the late 2000s with a blistering punk sound on their eponymous debut (2011) and follow-up Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (2012). As the group evolved, they took cues from pop-punk and indie rock on major-label debut Never Hungover Again, which drew upon influences from Weezer and Jawbreaker, a maturation that continued on album's like 2018's Million Dollars to Kill Me and 2022's 40 oz. to Fresno. Based out of Torrance, California, Joyce Manor was initially conceived as the acoustic pop-punk duo of longtime friends Barry Johnson (vocals, guitar) and Chase Knobbe (guitar). Before long, the lineup expanded to include bassist Matt Ebert and drummer Kurt Walcher. Early demos and EPs revealed a fiery punk outfit with short songs (rarely more than two minutes) and a raw accessible nature that endeared them to local punk fans. After a split 7" with fellow Californians Summer Vacation, Joyce Manor joined the roster of hardcore label 6131 Records. Their self-titled, full-length debut was released in 2011 to critical acclaim, landing the band on many year-end best-of lists. A split with Oakland's Big Kids followed, as the band increased their nationwide touring. Joyce Manor moved over to Asian Man Records for their next album; Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired appeared in April 2012, boasting an efficient nine songs in just over 13 minutes. When it came time to do the next album, the band -- with Asian Man's blessing -- jumped to Epitaph Records. The ten-song, 20-minute album Never Hungover Again was produced by Joe Reinhart, mixed by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Belle and Sebastian), and saw release in summer of 2014. After a long stretch of touring, during which their demands against stage diving and free shows alienated some fans but drew raves from others, the band began work on another record. First, they replaced Walcher with new drummer Jeff Enzor, then they hooked up with producer Rob Schnapf, who had worked with artists like Elliott Smith, Guided by Voices, and Rancid. Schnapf taught Johnson the tricks of stretching one-minute songs into three-minute songs, and introduced the band to a real recording studio for the first time. The resulting album, 2016's Cody, was their most professional-sounding effort yet and featured guest vocals from singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and Fun.'s Nate Ruess. Joyce Manor continued the narrative two years later with their fifth effort, Million Dollars to Kill Me, which touched upon themes of doubt and hope. Recorded in Salem, Massachusetts, the 2018 set featured new drummer Pat Ware and the tracks "Fighting Kangaroo" and "Wildflowers." Released in 2020, the rarities compilation Songs from North Torrance collected an array of early highlights from the band's salad days. Much of the album is focused on Joyce Manor's 2008 to 2010 acoustic punk origin when they were still just the duo of Johnson and Knobbe. By 2022, they had parted with their third drummer and rather than fill the vacancy, they carried on as a trio with Motion City Soundtrack's Tony Thaxton filling in as a session drummer. With this lineup and a returning production team of Schnapf and Hoffer, they completed their sixth studio album, 40 oz. to Fresno, which was released that June. ~ Corey Apar