California pop-punk favourites Joyce Manor have shared the title track from their forthcoming album I Used To Go To This Bar, which arrives this Friday. The new single offers another sharp, emotionally loaded snapshot of a band operating with confidence, clarity and unmistakable bite.
Joyce Manor
I Used To Go To This Bar is a characteristically concise yet deeply affecting cut, pairing infectious hooks with a lyrical focus on everyday nostalgia. Frontman Barry Johnson describes the song as a reflection on a long-forgotten bar from his broke years — a symbol of a simpler time marked by stasis, familiarity and quiet heartbreak. It’s an ordinary story rendered powerful through detail, continuing Joyce Manor’s long-standing ability to find meaning in the mundane.
The track previews the band’s seventh studio album, produced by Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion), whose involvement marks a full-circle moment for the Torrance trio. Work on the record began in early 2023, with Gurewitz stepping in after hearing early demos and helping the band refine their ideas without sanding down their raw edges. The result is a record that sounds immediate, punchy and self-assured, while still rooted firmly in the DIY spirit that has defined Joyce Manor since day one.
Across I Used To Go To This Bar, Joyce Manor continue to stretch their trademark short-form songwriting without sacrificing intensity. Drawing subtle influence from classic Californian punk, power-pop melody and darker emotional undercurrents, the album feels both familiar and freshly energised. Tracks like All My Friends Are So Depressed and Falling Into It showcase a band that knows exactly who they are — and how to say more with less.
The album also features a heavyweight production team, with Tony Hoffer on mixing duties and Tom Lord-Alge contributing to select tracks. A rotating cast of drummers appears across the record, including Jared Shavelson, David Hidalgo Jr., and Joey Waronker, adding subtle shifts in texture while the core trio of Johnson, Chase Knobbe, and Matt Ebert remain firmly at the centre.
Now nearly two decades into their career, Joyce Manor show no signs of slowing down. I Used To Go To This Bar feels like a culmination of everything the band has built so far — lean, loud and emotionally direct — while still pushing forward with renewed purpose.
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