For nearly two decades, just about every Joyce Manor song has, at its core, sounded like a Joyce Manor song. Yet the Torrance-reared pop-punk group’s first new material since 2022’s 40 oz. to Fresno LP isn’t shy about leaning into a surprisingly broad set of influences: “All My Friends Are So Depressed” often sounds like Morrissey taking a stab at heartland-rock’s dusty, soaring ballads—it’s sort of a companion piece to Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s new alt-country era.
Well, to hear frontman Barry Johnson explain it, their set of influences was a little more complicated than that. “It’s kind of my take on what I imagine Lana Del Rey lyrics are like,” he explained. “Instead of icy, detached cool ’50s Americana, it’s all dirty shag carpet, bong rips, Peter Frampton Comes Alive!, key lime pie, and suicidal ideations. My flow was inspired by 100 gecs, who I was listening to a concerning amount in 2023 (much respect to Dylan and Laura, please take us on tour). Musically, we were drawing from The Libertines, Tiger Army, X, and The Smiths…obviously.”
Check out the video below.
