Joyce Manor have been on a victory lap for the past two years. They put out a reworked rarities compilation Songs From Northern Torrance in 2020, and a year later, Asian Man Records remastered the pop-punk act’s iconic self-titled debut for its tenth anniversary. Now, Joyce Manor are back with their first crop of new songs since 2018’s Million Dollars to Kill Me, the 19-minute, catchy as hell 40 Oz. to Fresno(out June 10th).
In a lot of ways, 40 Oz. to Fresno, their sixth full-length and fourth for Epitaph Records, is classic Joyce Manor. Only two songs break the two-minute mark, the hooks are reminiscent of their breakthrough Never Hungover Again, and the whole project even came about after frontman Barry Johnson rediscovered a forgotten B-side, “Secret Sisters.”
“We threw around the idea of releasing it as a single,” Johnson tells Consequence, “But I was like, ‘Let’s just make a record that sounds like that song.’ And we kind of did, but it ended up being its own thing.”
Following Songs From Northern Torrance and the Joyce Manor remaster, it’s easy to agree with Johnson that despite its conception, 40 Oz. to Fresno is far from a mere rehash of the band’s most celebrated material. The record reflects the group’s progression as much their roots, as many songs are more reminiscent of the Dear Nora-inspired Cody than Never Hungover Again — fitting for the return of producer Rob Schnapf. The departure of Pat Ware also led to Tony Thaxton of Motion City Soundtrack taking over on drums, lending 40 Oz. to Fresno a somewhat distinct rhythmic feel.
This is all to be expected, though. Over a decade and six LPs in, the band we named the 25th Best Pop Punk Band of all time has such a unique sonic fingerprint that no matter what new direction they may take their music, it remains unmistakably Joyce Manor. No one else sounds like Joyce Manor, and Joyce Manor couldn’t not sound like Joyce Manor if they tried.
Much of that comes from Johnson’s particular approach to songwriting. “I think what makes Joyce Manor interesting and special is Chase [Knobbe]’s fucked brain and my fucked brain,” he tells Consequence.
The fucked brain approach is working. From Joyce Manor’s “Constant Headache” to Never Hungover Again’s “Falling in Love Again” to recent 40 Oz. to Fresno single “Gotta Let It Go,” Johnson and Co. have been consistently churning out cathartic, mosh-ready anthems for larger and larger audiences.
Joyce Manor is also gearing up for a national tour with Citizen and Prince Daddy & The Hyena, before heading to Europe with The Menzingers. Grab tickets to both tours here, and check out the full Q&A below.