Never Hungover Again

After diving deeper into their esoteric influences on the eccentric sophomore release Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (2012), Joyce Manor opted to take a back-to-basics approach with Never Hungover Again. Frontman Barry Johnson admitted that he developed a complex about being in a pop-punk band and had intentionally tried to move beyond those trappings on Of All Things.{{cite web | last=Unterberger | first=Andrew | title=Joyce Manor: These Things Take Time | website=Spin | date=September 1, 2016 | url=https://www.spin.com/featured/joyce-manor-cody-new-album-interview/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009061945/https://www.spin.com/featured/joyce-manor-cody-new-album-interview/|archivedate=October 9, 2016 | access-date=April 17, 2024}}

File:Joyce Manor (8109036674).jpg

The band first made an attempt at recording the album in February 2013 in Philadelphia with Joe Reinhart of Algernon Cadwallader. The quartet tracked eight songs but were not pleased with the results. Many of the songs had been written over a period of years, but the band resumed writing, aiming for a higher quality output on the album after touring songs for years from earlier efforts they felt tired of. Specifically, the band felt that they needed stronger hooks for the songs.

Never Hungover Again marked a moment where the interplay between frontman Barry Johnson and guitarist Chase Knobbe began to take shape. In an interview, Johnson explained that Knobbe was dating a person in Santa Cruz who was in college; "While she was in school all day, he would just smoke weed and play guitar. And he got way better at guitar by doing that," he said.{{cite web | title=Joyce Manor: Album By Album With Frontman Barry Johnson | website=Kerrang! | date=September 10, 2019 | url=https://www.kerrang.com/joyce-manor-album-by-album-with-barry-johnson | access-date=April 17, 2024}} Throughout 2013, the band spent time re-working songs ("End of the Summer", "Heated Swimming Pool"), and developing new ones ("Falling in Love Again", "The Jerk"). The band found the new material refreshing: "Like once we wrote [those two], it felt more rich and like something different that we hadn’t done yet," Johnson said.{{cite web | last=Krueger | first=Jonah | title=Joyce Manor on New Album 40 Oz. to Fresno, Fifth Wave Emo and "Trying to Get Murdered" by Sublime Fans: Interview | website=Consequence | date=June 9, 2022 | url=https://consequence.net/2022/06/joyce-manor-interview-40-oz-to-fresno/3/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} "It was during this batch of songwriting that I noticed a pretty big jump in the quality of the songs we were writing and Chase and I really started spending a lot of time on the vocals and guitar parts and how they interact with each other," he remembered.{{Cite Instagram |user=instagram |postid=C9vOoV3yTAu |date=July 22, 2024 |title="damn what the fuck ten years since never hungover again came out..." |access-date=July 24, 2024}}

They asked Reinhart to revisit the project with them later in the year, and the final album was recorded over two weeks in November 2013{{cite web | last=Chemotti | first=Lucas | title=Joyce Manor Are Writing a New Record, Getting Their Songs Covered By Conor Oberst| website=OC Weekly | date=November 26, 2013 | url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2013/11/joyce_manor_are_writing_a_new.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517185634/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2013/11/joyce_manor_are_writing_a_new.php|archivedate=May 17, 2014 | access-date=April 17, 2024}} at the Lair in Hollywood, an all-analog facility.{{cite web | title=Artist Feature: Joyce Manor | website=CBS Los Angeles | date=February 23, 2015 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/artist-feature-joyce-manor/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} The band chose the Lair due to its Neve 80s series mixing console and Studer 2” tape machine.{{Cite Instagram |user=instagram |postid=C9x574XSKbf |date=July 23, 2024 |title="some people sent messages asking for more info about the gear we used to make NHA soo i decided to make a post that’s just for the recording nerds..."|access-date=July 24, 2024}} The studio was where Rivers Cuomo of Weezer recorded his demos, and Walcher played the album on Cuomo's drum kit. It was the first time the band had used a click track to record to, which was difficult for much of the band besides Ebert; "Once we got the hang of it we loved how it sounded and felt," Johnson said. Much of the album was recorded live and characterized by drunkenness: "For a lot of it, we were pretty wasted. Four of the takes we got in a row, while we were very drunk and high." The band wanted to add more harmonies to songs but ran out of time; "We barely had enough time to finish basic tracking," Johnson confessed.{{cite web | last=Baines | first=Huw | title=What Do You Think About Joyce Manor? Barry Johnson Talks 'Cody' | website=Stereoboard.com | url=https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/201911/9 | access-date=April 17, 2024}} Reinhart recalled with fondness the atmosphere: "The band crashed on couches and ate Trader Joe's dumpster food while we worked. It was an exciting time to be DIY kids."{{cite web | last=Cohen | first=Ian | title=You Know I Think About It Still: Joyce Manor’s SoCal Classic ‘Never Hungover Again’ Turns 10 | website=The Ringer | date=July 26, 2024 | url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2024/7/26/24206600/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again-10-year-anniversary-deluxe-reissue-interview | access-date=July 27, 2024}} "Christmas Card" was tracked slightly faster than the band intended so the band slowed down the take by adjusting the tape speed. Johnson recalled: "I knew the Beatles messed with tape speed on Revolver and Rubber Soul and I wanted to be like the Beatles." The band shelved one track from the album, "Secret Sisters", but it resurfaced on 2022's 40 oz. to Fresno, where the band felt it fit better.{{cite web | last=Sacher | first=Andrew | title=How a 'Never Hungover Again' outtake and a text about Sublime led to Joyce Manor's new LP | website=BrooklynVegan | date=June 8, 2022 | url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/how-a-never-hungover-again-outtake-and-a-text-about-sublime-led-to-joyce-manors-new-lp/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}}

The often jangly guitar work on Hungover was frequently likened to the Smiths' Johnny Marr;{{cite web | last=Gotrich | first=Lars | title=Review: Joyce Manor, 'Never Hungover Again' | website=NPR | date=July 13, 2014 | url=https://www.npr.org/2014/07/13/329489701/first-listen-joyce-manor-never-hungover-again | access-date=April 17, 2024}}{{cite web | last=Cohen | first=Ian | title=» 'Never Hungover Again': A Little Bowling Alley Time With Torrance Pop-Punkers Joyce Manor | website=Sports and Pop Culture from our rotating cast of writers – Grantland | date=July 22, 2014 | url=https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/never-hungover-again-a-little-bowling-alley-time-with-torrance-pop-punkers-joyce-manor/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} the band also noted Guided by Voices as an influence. Entertainment Weekly{{'s}} Miles Raymer observed that "Never Hungover Again combines the earnestly awkward adolescent squawk of emo foundation-layers Cap'n Jazz with Cali pop-punk’s buzzsaw hooks."{{cite web | last=Raymer | first=Miles | title=Emo revivalists Joyce Manor share the soundtrack of their tour | website=EW.com | date=September 30, 2014 | url=https://ew.com/article/2014/09/30/joyce-manor-tour-playlist/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} "Heart Tattoo" was the band's attempt at writing a Blink-182 song; Matt Ebert's backing vocals on the song's last chorus are a tribute to Tom DeLonge.

Johnston took an oblique approach to his lyricism, allowing songs to develop line-by-line. He would write a lyric, and build upon them gradually with no set theme in mind. In between writing, the band stayed on the road, touring with Algernon Cadwallader, which Johnson felt made an impact on their songwriting.

After recording the album,{{cite web | last=Hill | first=John | title=Fuck You, Mom, Joyce Manor Is a Real Band Now | website=VICE | date=July 25, 2014 | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/fuck-you-mom-joyce-manor-is-a-real-band-now/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} the band signed to fabled punk imprint Epitaph Records,{{cite magazine | last=Unterberger | first=Andrew | title=This Is Post-Growing Up: Joyce Manor's Story Gets Boring So Their Songs and Crowds Don't Have To | magazine=Billboard | date=September 21, 2018 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/joyce-manor-interview-million-dollars-to-kill-me-8476310/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}}{{cite web | title=Interview: Joyce Manor | website=TheWaster.com | date=September 12, 2014 | url=https://www.thewaster.com/interview/joyce-manor-climbing-the-ranks/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} at the behest of label founder Brett Gurewitz. Gurewitz was drawn to Johnson's economic style of lyrics. The album was originally titled In the Army Now. Gurewitz was wary of the title and successfully lobbied the band to alter its original track sequencing, with the band later seeing his viewpoint: they derided the order as "terrible" in a 2020 Twitter post. Ian Cohen later observed that the signing of Joyce Manor led a 2010s renaissance for the label: "Never Hungover Again immediately revitalized Epitaph, starting a run of scene-defining records from Pianos Become the Teeth, Touché Amoré, the World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, and the Sidekicks."

As the album prepared to enter mixing, Johnson grew worried that the sessions were unsalvageable. Epitaph financed the album's mixing process, which was conducted by Tony Hoffer, known for his work with M83 and Phoenix.{{cite web | last=Fortune | first=Drew | title=Joyce Manor Grow Up | website=Bandcamp Daily | date=October 7, 2016 | url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/joyce-manor-interview | access-date=April 17, 2024}} Gurewitz viewed the choice as right in the band's purview: "He was a guy who'd done pop records, but really cool indie, Pitchfork kind of records," Gurewitz explains. 'So I thought, OK, that's the perfect matrix for Joyce Manor.'" Hoffer had a conversation with Johnson about the goals for mixing the album, and he stressed that he preferred the sound of synthesizers to guitars, offering "Friday I'm in Love" as a touchpoint.

The cover art for the album depicts bassist Matt Ebert drunkenly embracing Hop Along's Frances Quinlan.{{cite web | last=Cohen | first=Ian | title=In The Garage: Joyce Manor Share The Scenes And Stories Behind 'Million Dollars To Kill Me' | website=Stereogum | date=August 21, 2018 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2010520/joyce-manor-million-dollars-to-kill-me-interview/interviews/cover-story/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}} "It looks like two people partying, but there’s nothing dangerous or sexy about it," Ebert joked. Never Hungover Again debuted as a stream on NPR on July 14, 2014.{{cite web | last=Breihan | first=Tom | title=Stream Joyce Manor Never Hungover Again | website=Stereogum | date=July 14, 2014 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/1692078/stream-joyce-manor-never-hungover-again/news/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}}

{{Music ratings

|ADM=7.4/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/6571/Joyce-Manor-Never-Hungover-Again.aspx|title=Never Hungover Again by Joyce Manor reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=December 20, 2019}}

|MC=82/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/never-hungover-again/joyce-manor|title=Reviews for Never Hungover Again by Joyce Manor|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=July 31, 2014}}

|rev1=AllMusic

|rev1Score={{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/never-hungover-again-mw0002673992|title=Never Hungover Again – Joyce Manor|publisher=AllMusic|last=Sendra|first=Tim|accessdate=November 17, 2019}}

|rev2=Alternative Press

|rev2Score={{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/joyce_manor_never_hungover_again|title=Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again|work=Alternative Press|last=Shultz|first=Brian|date=July 16, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809073703/http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/joyce_manor_never_hungover_again|archivedate=August 9, 2014|url-status=dead}}

|rev3=The A.V. Club

|rev3Score=A−{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/review/joyce-manors-quest-eliminate-hangovers-proves-frui-206869|title=Joyce Manor's quest to eliminate hangovers proves fruitful|work=The A.V. Club|last=Anthony|first=David|date=July 23, 2014|accessdate=December 9, 2015}}

|rev4=Consequence of Sound

|rev4Score=C+{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2014/07/album-review-joyce-manor-never-hungover-again/|title=Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Geffen|first=Sasha|date=July 23, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019}}

|rev5=DIY

|rev5Score={{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2014/07/15/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again|title=Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again|work=DIY|last=Walters|first=Tom|date=July 15, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019}}

|rev6=Exclaim!

|rev6Score=8/10{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/joyce_manor-never_hungover_again|title=Joyce Manor: Never Hungover Again|work=Exclaim!|last=Williams|first=Rebecca M.|date=July 18, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019}}

|rev7=Kerrang!

|rev7Score=4/5{{cite journal|title=Joyce Manor: Never Hungover Again|journal=Kerrang!|date=July 26, 2014|page=53}}

|rev8=NME

|rev8Score=7/10{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/15476|title=Joyce Manor – 'Never Hungover Again'|work=NME|last=Goodwyn|first=Tom|date=July 21, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727101935/http://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/15476|archivedate=July 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}

|rev9=Pitchfork

|rev9Score=7.8/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19507-joyce-manor-never-hungover-again/|title=Joyce Manor: Never Hungover Again|work=Pitchfork|last=Cohen|first=Ian|date=July 21, 2014|accessdate=August 4, 2014}}

|rev10=Wondering Sound

|rev10Score={{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wonderingsound.com/review/joyce-manor-never-hungover|title=Joyce Manor, Never Hungover Again|work=Wondering Sound|last=Seling|first=Megan|date=July 22, 2014|accessdate=November 17, 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927031915/http://www.wonderingsound.com/review/joyce-manor-never-hungover/|archivedate=September 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}

}}

Upon its release, Never Hungover Again received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 82, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 13 reviews. The A.V. Club critic David Anthony wrote that the album "isn’t a complete overhaul of the band’s sound, but with all the gentle twists on those charms, it ends up serving as a re-introduction." AllMusic's Tim Sendra stated: "Joyce Manor make 20 minutes feel way more epic than the running time might promise, and Never Hungover Again ends up as the kind of record that feels like an instant classic." Ian Cohen of Pitchfork thought: "Once you stop trying to label what should be a hook and focus on what is, the ingenuity of each song’s design and the ear-turning nature of every maneuver speaks to Never Hungover Again{{'}}s inexhaustible quality, the kind of album you can play three times in a row without any part wearing out its welcome."

NPR's Lars Gotrich viewed it a "confident, focused record," while PopMatters' Tanner Smith found "it has almost peerless consistency in quality [...] The band’s concision is evidenced not only in each song’s respective brevity, but through the rigid structures and arrangements, balancing mathematical control and cathartic release."{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Tanner | title=Joyce Manor: Never Hungover Again, PopMatters | website=PopMatters | date=August 22, 2016 | url=https://www.popmatters.com/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again-2495418929.html | access-date=April 17, 2024}} Maura Johnson from The Boston Globe observed "The resentful "In the Army Now" and determined "Heart Tattoo" clip along thanks to sprightly, melodic bass lines from Matt Ebert and Kurt Walcher's clockwork drumming."{{cite web | last=Johnston | first=Maura | title=Joyce Manor, 'Never Hungover Again' | website=BostonGlobe.com | date=July 21, 2014 | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2014/07/20/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again/UuhudSj7szPWHwzW58kQeJ/story.html | access-date=April 17, 2024}} Stereogum's Danielle Chelosky called it their best album, opining: "Never Hungover Again finds the band at their most emotive and compelling — an incisive and intoxicating snapshot of what it means to be alive."{{cite web | last=Chelosky | first=Danielle | title=Joyce Manor Albums From Worst To Best | website=Stereogum | date=January 11, 2024 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2246981/joyce-manor-albums-from-worst-to-best/lists/counting-down/ | access-date=April 17, 2024}}

For its tenth anniversary, the album received several retrospective pieces. Brian Stout of PopMatters dubbed it "one of the key punk records of the 2010s",{{cite web | last=Stout | first=Brian | title=Joyce Manor's 2024 LP Is a Timeless Snapshot of Fading Youth | website=PopMatters | date=July 18, 2024 | url=https://www.popmatters.com/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again-atr10 | access-date=July 24, 2024}} while Grace Robins-Somerville from Paste considered it the most "quintessential" release by the band.{{cite web | last=Robins-Somerville | first=Grace | title=What Do You Want Me to Say? It's Never Going Away: Joyce Manor's Never Hungover Again at 10 | website=Paste Magazine | date=July 22, 2024 | url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/joyce-manor/what-do-you-want-me-to-say-its-never-going-away-joyce-manors-never-hungover-again-at-10 | access-date=July 24, 2024}} For Stereogum, Danielle Chelosky opined "Never Hungover Again masterfully achieves what most artists spend their lives trying to accomplish: It captures intense feeling and passes it on to its listener."{{cite web | last=Chelosky | first=Danielle | title=Joyce Manor's 'Never Hungover Again' Turns 10 | website=Stereogum | date=July 22, 2024 | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2272488/joyce-manor-never-hungover-again-turns-10/reviews/the-anniversary/ | access-date=July 24, 2024}}

{{track listing

| all_writing = Joyce Manor

| total_length = 19:00

| title1 = Christmas Card

| length1 = 2:05

| title2 = Falling in Love Again

| length2 = 2:28

| title3 = End of the Summer

| length3 = 1:49

| title4 = Victoria

| length4 = 1:39

| title5 = Schley

| length5 = 2:07

| title6 = Heart Tattoo

| length6 = 1:50

| title7 = The Jerk

| length7 = 1:46

| title8 = In the Army Now

| length8 = 2:21

| title9 = Catalina Fight Song

| length9 = 1:05

| title10 = Heated Swimming Pool

| length10 = 1:50

}}

;Joyce Manor

• Barry Johnson - vocals, guitar
• Matt Ebert - bass, vocals
• Chase Knobbe - guitar
• Kurt Walcher - drums

;Other personnel

• Joe Reinhart - production, engineering
• Scott Arnold - design and layout
• Howie Weinberg - mastering
• Tony Hoffer - mixing
• Ariel LeBeau - photography, backing vocals
• Evan Bernard - assistant production, assistant engineering
• Alex Estrada - production (vocals)
• Brett Gurewitz - production (vocals)
• Terence Calacsan - keyboards
• Peter Helms - backing vocals

{{Reflist}}

{{Joyce Manor}}

• {{official website|http://joyce-manor.com/}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2014 albums

Category:Epitaph Records albums

Category:Joyce Manor albums