JOYCE MANOR RETURN WITH FIRST NEW MUSIC IN THREE YEARS
Joyce Manor by Dan Monick
After three long years of silence, pop-punk veterans Joyce Manor have broken their streak with “All My Friends Are So Depressed,” a new single and video released via Epitaph Records. The track marks their first original music since 2022’s 40 oz. to Fresno and lands with a mix of humor, honesty, and that signature melancholy the band does so well.
Sonically, the song swerves from their expected distorted anthems, opting instead for a stripped-down groove built on clipped guitars and airy background “ahhs.” Frontman Barry Johnson leans into a vocal delivery that’s equal parts Morrissey and left-field experimentation, citing everything from The Smiths and The Libertines to Tiger Army and even 100 gecs as touchstones. The result is an oddly hypnotic blend of punk minimalism and dark pop eccentricity.
The track’s opening line, “Lord above in a Tecate truck,” was inspired by Johnson spotting a beer delivery truck plastered with religious imagery after a gig. From that fleeting moment came the rest of the song’s sardonic lyrics, questioning the value of existence with lines like, “Why even exist? Who gives a fuck!?” Johnson describes the vibe as his own version of Lana Del Rey, but filtered through scenes of bong smoke, dirty shag carpets, key lime pie, and late-night existential dread.
While Joyce Manor may not have released new music for three years, they’ve hardly been dormant. They toured with Weezer, dropped a split single with Tigers Jaw, performed on John Mulaney’s Everybody’s In L.A., and celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Never Hungover Again. Their classic track “Constant Headache” also resurfaced on FX’s hit series The Bear, cementing the band’s staying power even during downtime.
The release of “All My Friends Are So Depressed” comes ahead of a newly announced European and UK tour, the Common Thread Tour, which will see Joyce Manor hitting cities like Munich, Berlin, and London this fall, along with a stop at Night Moves Fest in Pensacola.
In short, Joyce Manor’s return feels both unexpected and inevitable. “All My Friends Are So Depressed” is stripped down, sardonic, and weirdly uplifting—a reminder that the band still has plenty to say, even if they’re saying it in their own offbeat, delightfully twisted way.
