We are barely halfway through the year and Joyce Manor is already having a career-defining 2026. Late last year/early this year the band started going viral in a comical way as the lyrics “sunken city by the ocean” from “Catalina Fight Song” was being misheard by young fans as a perverted act, which I cannot describe here.
It was the perfect way to introduce newer fans to an already-established talented band with a knack for righting catchy emotional songs set to a pop punk beat.
Photo by Dan Monick
Maybe it’s no mystery that I’ve been a fan since their first album, as Joyce Manor has listed Weezer as one of their biggest influences. Never afraid to wear their heart (tattoo) on their sleeve, the band resonated in the early 2010s with a lot of disillusioned and heartbroken teenagers (and this at the time 31-year-old). Much like Weezer, their debut album was self-titled and critically-acclaimed as an instant classic with no skippable songs.
They followed that up with “Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired” and the classic “Never Hungover Again.” Fifteen years since their first album and these three have really stood the test of time.
If they gained their first fans as a local dive bar and backyard party band, they have since established a solid fanbase as both the band and their fans matured into their 30s and 40s. They took what they learned from their first releases, coupled that with a refined musicianship and lyricism and in January released their seventh album, “I Used to Go to This Bar.”
This is probably the most critically-praised album since their self-titled debut. Even in January people were quoting this as a possible contender for album of the year (and in my books, might still be in the lead right now).
No one, possibly least of all the band themselves, expected an alt-country banger like “All My Friends Are So Depressed” or the title track, “I Used to Go to This Bar.” Lyrically and musically it really shows the growth this band has overcome over the years. To celebrate the release the band went on a national tour with Militarie Gun, Teen Mortgage and Combat to mostly sold-out shows.
Joyce Manor played Saturday at the Warped Tour Long Beach to a packed crowd who sang along to every word. Monday they stopped by the KROQ In n Out Sound Space Studios for an intimate 15-song performance. Yesterday the band posted a cryptic video from the dashboard of a car with the Kia Forum in the background.
They just announced they will indeed be playing the Kia Forum with Hot Mulligan, Tiger’s Jaw, and Origami Angel. If there’s anyone with as much buzz as Joyce Manor these past few years it’s Hot Mulligan who scorched at Warped this weekend (along with Origami Angel who also played). With indie emo legends Tiger’s Jaw, this is one lineup you will not want to miss.
Presale tickets available now with code: OPPOSUM. General on sale Friday, July 31st at 10:00 am PST.
