Album Review: “I Used To Go To This Bar” by Joyce Manor
By Rowyn Belt
California band Joyce Manor have released their first full-length album since 2022, I Used To Go To This Bar. At 19 minutes, this album is the perfect listen for a drive to the gas station. From the title track to more odd songs like The Opossum, this album is full of pop-punk tunes for everyone.
Some of the standouts on this album are I Used To Go To This Bar, After All You Put Me Through, and Grey Guitar. The title track opens with an earworm of a guitar riff, keeping an upbeat instrumental behind quick, wordy verses. When the chorus rolls around, the vocals split into a half-time and allow the guitars to really come through the texture. The lyrics match this tempo change with the chorus being, “Time goes by so slowly, baby- I wish you were here.”
After All You Put Me Through begins with a shaker and groovy bass line under vocals, really setting up the vibe. We get a really heavy bass focus in the verses, letting the other instruments be more prevalent in the choruses. Guitars only appear for rhythmic interjections, and drumkit for small fills. This song, though lyrically depressing, is cool by nature because of the reliance on the bass to drive the song. That style of writing is super common in funk, another genre that really lays back and lets the bassist take the lead.
The final track on the album, Grey Guitar, opens with a much more classic rock sound. However, after the initial listen, I immediately caught onto the unsettling lyrics. Similar to alternative rock band The Killers, this song feels as though it’s deeply rooted in paranoia- much like Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. Both songs vibe instrumentally, but have very strange lyrics. This may be the best song of the album, really providing a story for listeners without sacrificing the musical quality.
Joyce Manor outdid themselves with this album, bringing new fans into their listening base with standouts like Grey Guitar and After All You Put Me Through. From beginning to end, this 20-minute listen is captivating and fun. I can’t recommend this album enough; with 9 unskippable songs, the band truly made an amazing LP.
