California punk favourites Joyce Manor have announced details of their upcoming album I Used To Go To This Bar, due for release on 30th January 2026 via Epitaph Records. The band have also shared the lead single Well, Whatever It Was, accompanied by a chaotic and comedic Lance Bangs–directed music video that riffs on The Great British Bake Off, featuring cameos from comedians and musicians playing UK rock icons.
Joyce Manor
Frontman Barry Johnson describes the single as “one of the most Southern California sounding songs ever recorded.” “I hear Jane’s Addiction in the verses, Beach Boys and Weezer in the chorus, and RHCP in the outro. Everyone was just firing on all cylinders for this one. Joey Waronker’s drumming, TLA’s mix, and Lenny Castro’s percussion all just sent it to the end zone,” Johnson says. “This song would go insanely hard in a Shrek film.”
Produced by Brett Gurewitz — SoCal punk legend and founder of Epitaph Records — I Used To Go To This Bar captures Joyce Manor at their most refined and self-assured. The trio of Barry Johnson, Chase Knobbe, and Matt Ebert continue to balance punk urgency with melodic immediacy, fusing the emotional punch of their early records with the maturity of a band over a decade into their career.
Speaking about the collaboration, Johnson explains: “Working with Brett was amazing. He’s one of the architects of everything we grew up on. Having him guide this record helped us make something that feels like it belongs next to those classic albums that shaped us.”
Knobbe adds: “Brett legitimised all our early influences in a way that gave us a lot of confidence to execute what we were going for.”
The record’s energetic sessions featured contributions from an all-star lineup of collaborators. Drummers Joey Waronker, David Hidalgo Jr. (Social Distortion), and Jared Shavelson all appear, with mixing handled by Tony Hoffer (M83, Beck) and engineering from Tom Lord-Alge, whose credits include Enema of the State.
The resulting nine-track album blends fast-paced pop-punk with classic power-pop hooks and sharp lyrical storytelling — a hallmark of Joyce Manor’s songwriting since their 2011 debut. Tracks like All My Friends Are So Depressed and Grey Guitar highlight the band’s knack for turning vulnerability into anthemic singalongs.
Producer Gurewitz praises the trio’s evolution, saying: “Joyce Manor are a quintessential South Bay punk band, but unlike their peers, they’re writing timeless songs for the American songbook. To me, they’re among the most important bands of the last two decades.”
The band’s announcement comes ahead of a European and UK tour beginning 16th October in Munich, with dates across Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK — including headline stops at London’s Roundhouse and Leeds University Union. Support on select dates comes from The Hotelier, Tiger’s Jaw, Oso Oso, and Ways Away.
Joyce Manor – European / UK Tour 2025:
OCTOBER
16th – Munich, DE @ Backstage Werk *
17th – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater *
18th – Oberhausen, DE @ Turbinenhalle
19th – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
20th – Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat
22nd – Bristol, UK @ The Prospect Building *
23rd – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 *
25th – London, UK @ Roundhouse
26th – Leeds, UK @ Leeds University Union
*with The Hotelier, Tiger’s Jaw, Oso Oso & Ways Away
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