- Epitaph2026
Joyce Manor have always masterfully, and maybe accidentally, tiptoed the line between genres. Since 2008, they’ve been beloved by fans of gritty Pennsylvania emo outfits like Title Fight and Tigers Jaw, though they hail from across the country in California. Despite their heavier sound, they consider the likes of emo math-rockers Algernon Cadwallader and folky indie rockers Hop Along to be their peers. At their core, though, is a love for pop punk — but could you really lump them in with oft-misogynistic, undeniably infantile Warped Tour groups like The Story So Far or Neck Deep? In 2026, pop punk has never felt more outdated; it seems like there are fewer pop punk bands than there are pop punk nostalgia festivals and anniversary tours. Yet on their new record, I Used To Go To This Bar, Joyce Manor are leaning into it. Somehow, it works.
You wouldn’t guess this from their lead single, “All My Friends Are So Depressed,” a Smiths pastiche that it feels like they’ve been waiting their whole career to execute after countless comparisons to the cherished ’80s band. No pop punk can be detected on the track; it’s pure, swimmy jangle-pop that you could consider one of their best songs depending on your feelings about Morrissey’s decadent misery and Johnny Marr’s jangly riffs. If you’re loyal to the post-hardcore tendencies of their self-titled debut, this song could make you wonder, What the fuck? But it’s not necessarily a surprise either, if you take into consideration Deftones’ take on “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” or Braid’s rendition of “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.” “All My Friends Are So Depressed” is better than a straight-up Smiths cover, though; Barry Johnson's typical self-deprecating lyricism fits in perfectly with the dreamy guitars.
The only other song like “All My Friends Are So Depressed” on the LP is "The Opposum," which blends jangly guitars with their usual fast-paced pop-rock, vaguely reminiscent of the Meat Is Murder highlight "Nowhere Fast." Johnson trades in the raspy shouts for earnest singing, recounting smoking weed with an opossum and watching the ceiling fan while on acid. It’s a perfect song. These two jangle-pop excursions help take I Used To Go To This Bar to a level above their latest record, 2022’s 40 Oz. To Fresno, which was another great effort from a consistently great band. But when you’re consistently great, you still have to do something to keep fans’ attention. I Used To Go To This Bar achieves this.
John said the single “Well, Whatever It Was” would "go insanely hard in a Shrek film." This is an accurate description of a lot of the record. It’s not aiming for the transcendent, cinematic beauty of Never Hungover Again; if it has to be likened to their past work, it’s closest to their explosive debut, endeavoring to pack punches into short blips. Only instead of discordant, edgy post-hardcore, it’s vivacious, endearing pop punk in the vein of Blink-182 and Sum 41 without the cringe (OK, maybe with some of the cringe, but it’s harmless). Whimsical riffs, big choruses, simple hooks. The one-minute-50-second, Pinkerton-esque “Falling Into It” spends more than half of its running time building up to its brief, fun crescendo — a formula that has never not worked for a pop punk anthem.
The best track on I Used To Go To This Bar may be the finale, "Grey Guitar." And I am not just saying this because my name is in it. (Stereogum reached out to the band via Instagram DMs to question whether the Danielle in the song was based on the author of this piece; Johnson neither confirmed nor denied.) Like some of Joyce Manor’s best cuts — "NBTSA," "Schley" — "Grey Guitar" is rooted in paranoia and secrecy, a feeling that something is off. It’s pop-rock greatness with mystery at the crux.
Now, I know what everyone’s thinking: Danielle, you published a wonderfully written ranking of all of Joyce Manor’s albums two years ago. Where would I Used To Go To This Bar fit into that? Great question. I would put I Used To Go To This Bar at #4, between Cody (#3) and 40 Oz. To Fresno (#5). But as I’ve said before, ranking Joyce Manor albums is a futile mission. They’re all great in different ways. I Used To Go To This Bar is another banger from an unstoppable band. Will they ever put out a bad record? It might be impossible.
I Used To Go To This Bar is out 1/30 via Epitaph.
Other albums of note out this week:
• fakemink's The Boy Who Cried Terrified mixtape
• Yumi Zouma's No Lost Love To Kindness
• The Soft Pink Truth's CAN SUCH DELIGHTFUL TIMES GO ON FOREVER?
• Guv's Warmer Than Gold
• Lande Hekt's Lucky Now
• Geologist's Can I Get A Pack Of Camel Lights?
• By Storm's My Ghosts Go Ghost
• Softcult's When A Flower Doesn’t Grow
• Don Toliver's OCTANE
• Plantoid's Flare
• Tashi Dorji's low clouds hang, this land is on fire
• Stabbing's Eon Of Obscenity
• Cast's Yeah Yeah Yeah
• The Molotovs' Wasted On Youth
• Only The Poets' And I’d Do It Again
• Snake Eyes' Cash Out
• Melissa Errico's I Can Dream Can’t I?
• Kula Shaker's Wormslayer
• JOSEPH's Closer To Happy
• Tyler Ballgame’s For the First Time, Again
• Sam Quealy's JAWBREAKER
• Whitelands' Sunlight Echoes
• Becca Hannah's Tonight In My Dreams
• Cordovas' Back To Life
• Marta Del Grandi's Dream Life
• Sébastien Tellier's Kiss The Beast
• Shields' Death & Connection
• Jordan Ward's BACKWARD
• Barry Walker Jr.'s Paleo Sol
• Annabelle Chairlegs' Waking Up
• Ailbhe Reddy's Kiss Big
• Our Mirage's Fractured Minds
• FRANKIE & Kelman Duran's McArthur
• James Adrian Brown's Forever Neon Lights
• DEMOB HAPPY's The Grown Ups Are Talking
• Blackwater Holylight's Not Here Not Gone
• Ye Vagabonds' All Tied Together
• ER Jurken's To Be Continued
• David Moore's Graze The Bell
• Shintaro Sakamoto's Yoo-hoo
• MØL's DREAMCRUSH
• Toni Geitani's Wahj
• Concrete Husband's Where The Ashes Glow
• Sam Wenc's Language At An Angle
• Scattered Purgatory (破地獄)'s Post Purgatory
• Steve Poltz's JoyRide
• Large's Marine Life
• Scott McCloud's Make It To Forever
• Buzzcocks' Attitude Adjustment
• Indira Paganotto's Arte Como Amante
• Tom Woodward's Come Come Karma
• Radium Dolls' Wound Up
• Infected Mushroom's IM30
• Sideshow's TIGRAY FUNK
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Howl (20th Anniversary Deluxe)
• Sophia Stel's How To Win At Solitaire (Deluxe)
• The Style Council's Café Bleu (Special Edition)
• Toad The Wet Sprocket's RINGS: The Acoustic Sessions
• Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig (15th Anniversary Edition)
• Ty Segall & The Muggers' "Live" "At" "The" "BBC" EP
• Jagged City's There Are More Of Us, Always EP
• Triples' Every Good Story EP
• Hank Bee's a sudden hankering EP
• Trembler's Total Sorry EP
• Almost Heaven's RAW CRANIUM EP
• Dogpark's Corporate Pudding EP
• Joel Ross' Gospel Music KiiiKiii's Delulu Pack Mini Album
