Joyce Manor are back and they’ve wasted absolutely no time reminding everyone why they’re one of the most consistently brilliant punk bands of the last decade and then some.
The Torrance trio have just shared a brand new single called I Know Where Mark Chen Lives, the opening track from their upcoming album I Used To Go To This Bar, out January 30 via Epitaph Records. If you’re wondering whether this one hits straight out the gate, the answer is yes. Loud, fast, sharp and done before you’ve even had time to blink.
The track arrives alongside a stripped back black and white performance video, which feels perfectly Joyce Manor. No fluff, no distractions, just the band locked in and doing what they do best. It sets the tone immediately and makes it very clear that this record isn’t here to mess about.
Barry Johnson has shared the story behind the song and, honestly, it makes it even better. Mark Chen, the song’s namesake, is a songwriter Barry deeply admires from bands Summer Vacation and Winter Break. From there, the track spirals into a darkly funny snapshot of early weed club culture in California. The kind of place where free dabs were handed out, the vibes were loose, and everything felt slightly unhinged. Barry paints this bizarre mental image of a teenage budtender completely out of it before getting robbed at gunpoint, which sounds absurd until you remember how lawless that era actually was. It’s grim, it’s funny, and it somehow works perfectly as a Joyce Manor lyric.
The new album sees the band teaming up with Brett Gurewitz, Bad Religion legend and Epitaph founder, who also steps in as producer. That pairing makes a lot of sense. Brett has been part of Joyce Manor’s world for years, but this time he’s right there behind the boards helping shape what feels like a bigger, punchier version of the band without sanding down any of the edges. The songs still come in short, sharp bursts, but everything sounds fuller and more confident.
Musically, I Used To Go To This Bar pulls from all the right places. You can hear flashes of AFI’s speed, Weezer’s knack for massive hooks, and that moody emotional pull you’d expect from bands like The Smiths. Somehow, Joyce Manor manage to wear those influences proudly while still sounding unmistakably like themselves. That’s not easy this far into a career.
This album also follows 2023’s 40 oz. to Fresno, which quietly became one of their most praised releases. The New York Times called it all killer, no filler, and Pitchfork described it as a refinement of everything Joyce Manor do best. Since then, the band haven’t exactly been taking it easy. Touring with Weezer, popping up on TV with John Mulaney, hearing Constant Headache land in The Bear, and celebrating ten years of Never Hungover Again. It’s been a big run.
What makes this new chapter exciting is that it doesn’t feel like a victory lap. Joyce Manor sound hungry again. There’s energy here that feels immediate and alive, like they’re still chasing something rather than protecting a legacy. With help from heavy hitters like Tony Hoffer and Tom Lord Alge, plus a rotating cast of drummers, the album feels expansive without losing that raw punch that made people fall in love with the band in the first place.
If I Know Where Mark Chen Lives is any indication, I Used To Go To This Bar is shaping up to be one of those records you throw on and immediately restart once it ends. January 30 can’t come quick enough.
