Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again

Joyce Manor was conceived in the back of a car in the Disneyland parking lot, the kind of beginning California dreams are made of. Their first self-titled album in 2011 exploded out of nowhere; across two albums, they discovered what Joyce Manor really sounded like – the speed and sense of melody of fellow South Bay band the Descendents, the artfully bittersweet lyricism of Jawbreaker and the undeniable heart-on-sleeve honesty of the first two Weezer albums. “Never Hungover Again” is an album of pop-punk in paradox, right down to the title and photo on the cover. From the first song, it’s ten precisely put-together songs about how things fall apart, with some of the saddest lyrics you’d ever shout along to from the front row.