The Menzingers have unveiled ‘Better Angels’, the second major preview from their forthcoming album Everything I Ever Saw, which will be released on July 17 via Epitaph Records. The track arrives alongside an official music video directed by Britain Weyant and follows the earlier release of lead single ‘Chance Encounters’, giving fans a broader look at the Pennsylvania band’s next chapter nearly two decades into their career.
by Paul Cashmere
The release of ‘Better Angels’ marks another significant step in the rollout of the band’s ninth studio album and follows recent single ‘Nobody’s Heroes’. Recorded with long-time collaborator and Grammy Award-winning producer Will Yip at Memory Music Studios in Philadelphia, the album arrives at a pivotal moment for the group. According to the band, the songs were shaped by personal upheaval, changing relationships, loss and growth, while also reflecting a renewed commitment to the collaborative approach that first established their reputation within modern punk rock.
Speaking in a recent interview about the song’s origins, members of the band discussed the deeper sense of connection that has emerged after twenty years of working together. That enduring partnership has become one of the defining characteristics of The Menzingers, whose songwriting has consistently explored memory, adulthood and the passage of time through a distinctly punk lens.
‘Better Angels’ continues themes that have appeared throughout the band’s catalogue. Musically, it sits comfortably alongside the emotionally direct songwriting that has become a hallmark of The Menzingers since their breakthrough years. The track joins an album that includes eleven songs, opening with ‘Chance Encounters’ and concluding with the title track ‘Everything I Ever Saw’.
For The Menzingers, the new album arrives after a lengthy period of evolution. Formed in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2006, the quartet of Greg Barnett, Tom May, Eric Keen and Joe Godino emerged from the fertile American punk scene of the late 2000s. Early releases such as A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology and Chamberlain Waits established the band’s foundations, but it was 2012’s critically acclaimed On The Impossible Past that elevated them to a new level of recognition.
That album remains a touchstone in contemporary punk rock and is frequently cited among the most influential releases of its era. The group built upon that success with albums including Rented World (2014), After The Party (2017) and Hello Exile (2019), each broadening their audience while maintaining the introspective storytelling that distinguished them from many of their peers.
Their most recent studio album, Some Of It Was True, arrived in 2023 and demonstrated the band’s continuing ability to balance melodic accessibility with punk authenticity. During the pandemic period, the group also revisited material from Hello Exile through the acoustic companion album From Exile, highlighting their willingness to reinterpret their own work.
Within the broader punk landscape, The Menzingers occupy a unique position. While many of their contemporaries have leaned toward either harder-edged aggression or mainstream rock accessibility, the Scranton group has consistently centred songwriting and narrative. Influences ranging from The Clash and Against Me! to Pixies and Smashing Pumpkins have informed a catalogue that extends beyond traditional genre boundaries.
Their long association with Epitaph Records has also helped position them among the label’s most enduring modern acts. Since signing to the label in 2011, they have developed a reputation for consistency and longevity, qualities that remain increasingly rare in contemporary alternative music.
With ‘Better Angels’ now available and anticipation building around Everything I Ever Saw, The Menzingers are preparing to add another chapter to a career that has spanned almost twenty years. The album’s themes suggest a band reflecting on major life changes while continuing to push forward creatively. Whether viewed as a continuation of the sound that made them influential or the beginning of a new phase, the record will provide the clearest indication yet of where The Menzingers stand in 2026.
Everything I Ever Saw tracklisting
Chance Encounters
Better Angels
Romanticism
Other People’s Money
Gasoline & Matches
The Fool
Nobody’s Heroes
Breathe With Me
When She Enters My Dreams
Parade Day
Everything I Ever Saw
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