Spotlight: Joyce Manor Crushes the New Music Frontier with ‘40 oz. to Fresno’
THROUGHOUT THE MUSIC SCENE — there are bands that people consistently talk about from their rise to success. These bands work tirelessly to continue making incredible new music, and Joyce Manor is no exception to this. Forming in southern California, the group has made a statement in the community and now all over the world with their music. It seems like anywhere you go there is always some mention of Joyce Manor at a house show or venue.
Front man, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter Barry Johnson talks about the inception of their newest album, 40 oz. to Fresno. “Well, I decided to work on a record, [and] when it comes time to work on the new stuff I work on the scrap pile,” he explains. “There were two or three songs that didn’t make the cut on the other record and five new jams. I got bored from playing video games [during the pandemic] and decided to make a record. I really wanted to do something a little more spontaneous this time [as opposed to previous albums]. We didn’t properly demo them — I left some elements vague so we could get it over the finish line as a group with Rob Schnap [producer of the album].”
Having this way in the songwriting process was not only more cohesive for the album, but got Joyce Manor in the direction they needed to go in.
When creating the songs, Johnson was listening to the album 40 Oz. To Freedom by Sublime and, without knowing until the moment it happened, the album would help the title of Joyce Manor’s own album. “I haven’t listened to the album for seven years and I was shocked at how many great songs were on it,” he says. “I was texting my friend, ‘when was the last time you listened to ‘40 Oz To Freedom’ but it auto corrected to ‘Fresno.’ I really like Fresno a lot, and it reminds me of early tours drinking a 40 in the van blasting Guided by Voices on the way to play CYT Youth Center or another show — shout out to Sublime.”
Johnson goes on to explain that this record is another new frontier and era for Joyce Manor. “You could mark almost every era on who played drums, from Chris Torres on the demo, Kurt who played on S/T, Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired, Never Hungover Again, and Cody … we had Jeff Endsor [on] Million Dollars to Kill Me … we had Pat and Tony Paxton for this recent record.”
With drums defining each era of their music, Joyce Manor is paving the way as they keep evolving from one era to the next, their music getting better as each era progresses. 40 oz. to Fresno shows that they cannot and will not stop anytime soon, with great vocal melodies, guitar riffs, drum fills, and heavy bass tone that all help Johnson’s ageless vocals rip into the soundwaves.
As the band gets ready for another tour, you can check out their new album and the music video of “Gotta Let it Go”. The music video portrays Joyce Manor playing for rich unamused socialites in a ’70s-inspired vibe, with the cinematography being shot all on film. It shows that the band is keeping it innovative with how they want the song to be portrayed and giving it the ultimate aesthetic.
With their innovative music that takes hold of all their listeners, Joyce Manor is continuing on. They will be playing in Long Beach with Jeff Rosenstock, PUP, and Slaughterhouse on Jan. 7, 2023, but if you want to catch them sooner, they will be starting a month-long tour with Citizen, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, and Phony starting Aug. 3. Catch them on the road in your state and be sure to listen to their album, 40 oz. to Fresno, which is out now on Epitaph.
CONNECT WITH JOYCE MANOR
SPOTIFY
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo -
-
RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
-
RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
