6131 Records – Release Date: 1/11/11

So you elbow your way up to the front of the teeming basement and gasp your first breaths not choked by beer and B.O. since the show started. It’s too damn hot and crowded. You check your phone and wonder if you should catch the next bus home or stay for one more band. The flyer said your friend’s band was playing last but they somehow got moved to first, making you miss them and leaving a chip on your shoulder the whole night, no matter how many cheap beers you knock back. You drop your empty can on the floor and start making your way back through the crowd to the door. Half drunk, the familiar ring of guitar tuning interrupts the trajectory of your pity party. Without much ado, Joyce Manor rips into their first song. A few chords in and you can already tell this won’t be your typical punk rock affair. It’s fast and aggressive but with wit and humor. There’s a good sense of melody and even some gang vocals that have you screaming along before you know it. The next thing you realize you’re back in the thick of it with your arms around strangers, stomping and singing along without even knowing the lyrics, but recognizing words about failed relationships, disappointment and self doubt, all taken in stride with a good dose of optimism. It’s nothing fancy, just honest music from four Southern California dudes with a penchant for early ‘90s East Bay punk. Sweat-soaked and satisfied, you stumble out into the brisk night singing over and over, “Just a few miles down, as the streets count backwards I realize it’s true, everything reminds me of you!”.

– Vito Nusret