Joyce Manor - I Used To Go To This Bar (Album Review)
Tuesday, 03 February 2026
Written by Maddy Howell
Photo: Dan Monick
With Joyce Manor averaging a runtime of 19 minutes across their seven studio albums, every second counts when you hit play. Known for trimming the fat from their explosive punk tunes until all that remains are mighty pop hooks and pure emotion, their latest full-length sticks to the band’s tried-and-tested philosophy.
With Joyce Manor averaging a runtime of 19 minutes across their seven studio albums, every second counts when you hit play. Known for trimming the fat from their explosive punk tunes until all that remains are mighty pop hooks and pure emotion, their latest full-length sticks to the band’s tried-and-tested philosophy.
In fact, there’s something almost confrontational about how quickly ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’ makes its point.
Operating at full throttle as the adrenaline-packed opener I Know Where Mark Chen Lives kicks down the door, the hooks immediately have you in a chokehold, daring you not to have fun. Evoking the feeling of being flung headfirst into a sweat-drenched venue, you can almost sense the bodies colliding as people pogo.
There’s plenty more of that unrestrained energy to be found on The Opossum and the album’s yearningly nostalgic title track, but Joyce Manor truly shine when they’re playing into their pop instincts. Take, for instance, the slow-building melodic thrill of Falling Into It, or the candy-coated power-pop crunch of Well, Whatever It Was, a track that makes no secret of its Weezer and Gin Blossoms influences.
Elsewhere, All My Friends Are So Depressed offers a gritty snapshot of the daily weight of mental illness flecked with fragile glimmers of hope, drawing heavily on The Smiths’ introspective indie melancholy. Utilising its final five minutes to showcase a sharpened shift in their signature sound, ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’ closes out with frontman Barry Johnson in peak form as he spits out the reflective verses of Well, Don’t It Seem Like You’ve Been Here Before?, rounding things out with the huge singalong choruses of Grey Guitar.
It may all be over before you’ve even taken a walk around the block, but the magic of Joyce Manor is that you never feel short-changed. A tight, elastic sprint that shows every side of their sound whilst nudging it into a few fresh directions, with ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’ they’ve reasserted their place among punk’s modern greats.
Joyce Manor Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon March 09 2026 - PHOENIX Arizona - Van Buren (USA)
Wed March 11 2026 - AUSTIN Texas - Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater (USA)
Thu March 12 2026 - HOUSTON Texas - House of Blues Houston (USA)
Fri March 13 2026 - DALLAS Texas - House of Blues Dallas (USA)
Sat March 14 2026 - NEW ORLEANS Louisiana - House of Blues New Orleans (USA)
Mon March 16 2026 - ORLANDO Florida - House of Blues (USA)
Tue March 17 2026 - ATLANTA Georgia - Buckhead Theatre (USA)
Wed March 18 2026 - NORTH MYRTLE BEACH South Carolina - House of Blues Myrtle Beach (USA)
Fri March 20 2026 - BALTIMORE Maryland - Nevermore Hall (USA)
Sat March 21 2026 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Citizens House of Blues Boston (USA)
Sun March 22 2026 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Fillmore (USA)
Tue March 24 2026 - BROOKLYN New York - Brooklyn Paramount (USA)
Wed March 25 2026 - BUFFALO New York - Asbury Hall at Babeville - Complex (USA)
Thu March 26 2026 - TORONTO Ontario - Danforth Music Hall Theatre (Canada)
Fri March 27 2026 - DETROIT Michigan - Majestic Theatre Detroit - Complex (USA)
Sat March 28 2026 - CHICAGO Illinois - Salt Shed (USA)
Sun April 26 2026 - MADISON Wisconsin - Sylvee (USA)
Mon April 27 2026 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - Varsity Theater (USA)
Thu April 30 2026 - DES MOINES Iowa - Woolys Des Moines (USA)
Fri May 01 2026 - ST LOUIS Missouri - Delmar Hall (USA)
Sat May 02 2026 - LAWRENCE Kansas - Liberty Hall (USA)
Mon May 04 2026 - DENVER Colorado - Fillmore Auditorium (USA)
Tue May 05 2026 - SALT LAKE CITY Utah - Depot (USA)
Thu May 07 2026 - GREAT FALLS Montana - Newberry (USA)
Fri May 08 2026 - CALGARY Alberta - Palace Theatre (Formerly Flames Central) (Canada)
Sat May 09 2026 - EDMONTON Alberta - Midway (Canada)
Mon May 11 2026 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom (Canada)
Tue May 12 2026 - SEATTLE Washington - Showbox (USA)
Wed May 13 2026 - PORTLAND Oregon - Roseland Theater (USA)
Fri May 15 2026 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Fillmore San Francisco (USA)
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