Joyce Manor was conceived in the back of a car in the Disneyland parking lot—the kind of beginning California dreams are made of. In 2008, co-founders Barry Johnson (guitar, vocals) and Chase Knobbe (guitar) decided to team up under the moniker “Joyce Manor,” named after an apartment complex Barry walked past every day. Their first self-titled album in 2011 exploded out of nowhere; across two albums, they discovered what Joyce Manor really sounded like—the speed and sense of melody of the Descendents, the artfully bittersweet lyricism of Jawbreaker and the undeniable heart-on-sleeve honesty of the first two Weezer albums.

By the close of 2013, they had signed with Epitaph, and now had the experience, the discipline and the inspiration to make one of those rare albums that redefines a young band—Never Hungover Again. Joe Reinhardt took the controls in Hollywood’s analog dreamland the Lair, and they assigned the final mix to Tony Hoffer—the guy who found the definitive sound for Supergrass, Belle and Sebastian, M83 and Phoenix. Together, they made an album of pop-punk in paradox, right down to the title and photo on the cover. And from the first song, it’s ten precisely put-together songs about how things fall apart, with some of the saddest lyrics you’d ever shout along to from the front row.