Joyce Manor is an American punk rock band formed in Torrance, California in 2008. The band's current lineup consists of singer-songwriter and guitarist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ebert. The band's musical style is rooted in punk rock but has diversified over its career. The band first gained momentum through word-of-mouth and social media sites. Kurt Walcher was the band's founding drummer; the group has switched drummers each album cycle since 2015.
Joyce Manor originated out of Torrance, California,[1][2] part of the longstanding punk rock scene in the state. Guitarists Barry Johnson and Chase Knobbe first met and bonded in late 2008, and decided to form a band on a trip to Disneyland. The band's name came from an apartment building Johnson would pass on walks.[2] The duo adopted an acoustic, folk-punk sound, and began playing house shows;[3] their first gig was opening for Andrew Jackson Jihad. Their sound evolved upon adding bassist Matt Ebert and drummer Kurt Walcher in 2009, and they began releasing demos.[4]
The band signed with 6131 Records,[5] who gave the foursome a small budget to tackle their first full-length.[6] The band's debut, self-titled album saw release in January 2011, and included the single "Constant Headache", which became their signature song. Though pop-punk had largely faded from the commercial spotlight, the band's popularity rose through word-of-mouth from fans online, particularly on Tumblr. Punknews named it their "2011 Album of the Year" and it landed the band on many year-end best-of lists.[7]
Joyce Manor performing in 2012.
Johnson was uncomfortable with the attention, and channeled his angst into the band's next offering, 2012's Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired, a thirteen-minute thrash that explores its folk-punk roots and included a cover of the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star".[8] The group partnered with venerated imprint Asian Man Records for the release; Big Scary Monsters handled overseas distribution. The reaction from their fanbase was swift and divided;[9] Johnson called the album a pain to make, later confessing that he felt a pull to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries: "We didn’t want to be a Warped Tour band," he admitted.[10] "I was just really aware that people were gonna be listening to it [and] concerned with being cool. I was kind of trying to sabotage my career."[11] In support, the band played shows with AJJ, Algernon Cadwallader, Touche Amore,[12]Hop Along,[13] and Desaparecidos.[14] The band also supported Against Me.[15] The band's friends at Asian Man connected them with the staff at Epitaph Records, the fabled punk label, with whom the band signed to in 2014.[16]
Never Hungover Again: critical success and a move to Epitaph (2014–2019)
The band's first album for Epitaph was Never Hungover Again (2014),[17][18] a release that united listenership and invited new fans.[9] Produced by Joe Reinhart,[19]Never Hungover Again represented the band's career-best ranking on the Billboard 200 at number 106.[20] Around the same time, the band received attention within the indie and punk communities for its stance against stage diving after the band interrupted several sets to call out stage divers.[21][22]Rolling Stone included the band on its "10 New Artists You Need to Know" in 2014.[23]Never Hungover Again earned rave reviews from music critics, cementing the band's place as one of the top pop-punk bands of the 2010s; they were credited with spearheading a revival of emo music alongside acts like Title Fight and Tigers Jaw.[6] The band played shows in support of the album with Brand New,[24] as well as their first-ever[16] headlining slots alongside Toys That Kill, Mitski,[25] and Modern Baseball.[26]
In 2016, the band released their next album, Cody, produced by Rob Schnapf. It was supported by the singles "Fake I.D.", "Eighteen", and "Last You Heard of Me". For the album, the band dismissed Walcher; the members felt he did not connect with the band's songwriting. It became one in a string of percussionists sitting in with the group; Johnson recruited Jeff Enzor for Cody and its tour.[27] Schnapf encouraged the group to slow down the tempo and incorporate longer verses and bridges.[28]Cody was viewed as more accessible than previous efforts by critics;[9]Pitchfork dismissed it as an attempt to "sound like Everclear".[29] On Billboard'sTop Album Sales chart, Cody landed at number 75, and in the top 30 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums ranking.[20]Cody was supported with tours alongside the Hotelier and Crying,[30] as well as other stints with AJJ and Mannequin Pussy,[31] plus another tour with Wavves in late 2017.[32]Cody ended up being their only album with Enzor behind the drum kit; he was replaced on 2018's Million Dollars to Kill Me by Pat Ware, of the group Spraynard.[33]
Frontman Barry Johnson in 2017
The band issued their next album, Million Dollars to Kill Me, in 2018. Million Dollars to Kill Me was produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou, and spawned three singles, including the title track, "Think I’m Still in Love with You" and "Big Lie". The band played larger rooms than before, including two headlining shows at the Hollywood Palladium.[34][35] The band was supported by Vundabar and Big Eyes on live dates,[36] and joined Saves the Day for a summer co-headlining jaunt in 2019.[37]
Recent events (2020–present)
The band had considered a hiatus before teaming with Ware; indeed, when he left the band in 2019,[38] Johnson confided in the other members that he felt the band was due for a break.[10] The next year, the coronavirus pandemic took hold, prompting the band to adopt a reflective view. Midway though the year, Joyce Manor issued Songs from Northern Torrance (2020), a rarities compilation collecting early demos.[39] The next year, the band issued a ten-year anniversary edition of their debut album, remixed by original engineer Alex Estrada, undoing editorial decisions made during the recording process the band came to regret. They added Neil Berthier on keyboards for live performances that year.[6]
The process allowed Johnson to reevaluate older, unfinished demos that helped birth the band's latest album, the Sublime-referencing 40 oz. to Fresno (2022).[40] The seventeen-minute long effort showcases a range of songs, both new and old, and includes a cover of "Souvenir" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Singles included "Gotta Let It Go" and "Don't Try".[41] The band reunited with Schnapf mid-pandemic to record the album.[42] Following Ward's exit, the band resigned themselves to simply being a three-piece, and enlisted Tony Thaxton (of Motion City Soundtrack) for a guest role on 40 oz.[43] The band supported the album with a domestic tour alongside The Story So Far[41] and another tour with Citizen,[44] and overseas dates with the Menzingers.[45] In 2023, the band played several dates with PUP,[46] and also partnered with Weezer—one of their original influences—to open several dates of their Indie Rock Road Trip Tour.[47]
Musical style and influences
The band's sound is a mix of power pop, pop punk and emo, with Pitchfork describing the band as writers of "very short songs and spiked alt-rock melodies with day-drunk surrealism, like a SoCalGuided By Voices that exclusively drank alcopops."[48] Cory Apar of AllMusic said Joyce Manor is stylistically a "more traditional pop punk" act.[49] The band members themselves have cited Blink-182, the Smiths,[3]Guided by Voices, Pissed Jeans, Rancid,[50]Against Me!, Weezer, and Television as influences.[51] Johnson and Knobbe first bonded over their love of Blink-182.[9] The band has covered songs from
new wave groups such as the Buggles and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.[52] The band's lyrics have thematically explored "broken homes, drunken nights, [and] faltering relationships."[4] The band is known for its particularly brief song durations, which Johnson attributes to his tendency to self-edit, removing elements until he feels the song is at its best, whatever the length.[38]
Members
Current
Barry Johnson – lead vocals, guitar (2008–present)
^Blow The Scene Staff (December 28, 2010). "Joyce Manor Interview". Blow The Scene. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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