Joyce Manor cook up surf-punk perfection on "Well, Whatever It Was"

Punk rock three-piece, Barry Johnson (vocals/guitar), Chase Knobbe (guitar) and Matt Ebert (bass), have returned with their latest sugary chaotic single, "Well, Whatever It Was", Radio 2's Next Wave Artist single-of-the-day and the second cut to be taken from pending album, "I Used To Go To This Bar" due January 30th on Epitaph Records.

Produced by punk icon Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the song embodies everything that has made Joyce Manor a mainstay in modern punk, quick wit, a messy heart, and melodies that sound both well-worn and completely fresh. It feels like a postcard from Southern California, the gritty one where people chain-smoke in the parking lot while gossiping about a barbecue recipe that didn't turn out quite right and hyperventilating about someone's lost cat. It's raw and warm, as if it had never been rinsed off after coming back from vacation.

Barry Johnson's voice has a half-smirk, half-sigh vibe, wandering back and forth between the jangly verses that pay tribute to Jane's Addiction and the harmony-drenched chorus that evokes The Beach Boys via Weezer. By the time that song makes its way to a Red Hot Chili Peppers–tinged outro, it's clear Joyce Manor is having fun seeing just how far they can stretch the sound without sacrificing their punk bark. "Well, Whatever It Was" works as a victory lap,  evidence that four years later, Joyce Manor hasn't simply gotten back in step. They have baked it to golden completion.

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