The Menzingers

Pennsylvania combo the Menzingers play a lyrical and passionate strain of punk rife with big melodies and energy. After establishing themselves in the latter part of the 2000s, they joined the Epitaph roster and really began to hit their stride with 2012′s acclaimed On the Impossible Past, which landed on a number of critics’ year-end lists. Subsequent albums like 2017′s After the Party and 2019′s Hello Exile saw the Menzingers honing their sound, taking a more introspective, though no less powerful approach.
Though they would later relocate to nearby Philadelphia, the Menzingers came together as teenagers in Scranton, Pennsylvania and included former members of local ska-punk bands Bob & the Sagets and Kos Mos. Co-frontmen Tom May (vocals, guitar) and Greg Barnett vocals, guitar), along with bassist Eric Keen and drummer Joe Godino, released a self-titled demo in 2006, which found its way to the office of Go-Kart Records and subsequently earned the band a spot on the label’s roster. The Menzingers’ debut full-length, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, came out in the summer of 2007. The record went over well and the band found its name spreading steadily among punk fans, especially among fans of groups like the Lawrence Arms and Against Me!. They soon hooked up with Red Scare Industries for 2009′s four-song EP Hold on Dodge, then headed back into the studio to work with producer Matt Allison on their next full-length, Chamberlain Waits, which was issued amid growing hype in April 2010.
The following year, the Menzingers signed on with punk giant Epitaph Records, and in 2012 they released their third, more mature album, On the Impossible Past. The band continued to grow and refine their sound, incorporating elements of earthy and earnest heartland rock, a trend that was evident on their 2014 album, Rented World. Working with producer Will Yip on 2017′s After the Party, the Menzingers reflected on hitting their thirties and reminisced about their younger days, turning in a passionate, big-hearted release loaded with melody. This introspective streak continued on 2019′s Hello Exile, which also explores themes of political and personal turmoil. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the Menzingers’ touring plans for 2020, and as the members were isolated in their homes, they chose to make an album using an unfamiliar approach. 2020′s From Exile found them revisiting songs from Hello Exile in different arrangements (and sometimes with revised lyrics), as each member recorded their parts separately at home and exchanged audio files to complete the sessions. ~ Corey Apar