Joyce Manor have announced their highly anticipated new album, I Used To Go To This Bar, set for release on 30 January 2026 via Epitaph Records. Alongside the news, the Torrance, California trio have dropped a playful video for lead single “Well, Whatever It Was,” directed by Lance Bangs. The clip parodies The Great British Bake Off, featuring a mix of comedians and musicians impersonating UK rock icons, showcasing the band’s irreverent sense of humour. Fans can also look forward to a 2026 headline tour in support of the album, with tickets on sale now at joyce-manor.com/tour.
Of the single, Barry Johnson states,
Well, Whatever It Was’ has got to be one of the most Southern California sounding songs ever recorded. I hear Jane’s Addiction in the verses, Beach Boys / Weezer in the chorus, and RHCP in the outro. It was LITERALLY produced by the guy from Bad Religion FFS. Everyone was just firing on all cylinders for this one. Joey Waronker’s drumming, TLA’s mix, and Lenny Castro’s percussion all just sent it to the end-zone. This song would go insanely hard in a Shrek film
Produced by SoCal punk legend Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion, Epitaph Records CEO), I Used To Go To This Bar finds Joyce Manor operating at the top of their game. Barry Johnson, Chase Knobbe, and Matt Ebert continue to mine new depths in their signature short-and-sweet songwriting, balancing biting punk energy with melodic power-pop sensibilities. The album nods to their influences, the rapid-fire drive of AFI, the polished hooks of Weezer, and the dusky emotional resonance of The Smiths, while reinforcing the trio’s status as one of modern rock’s most vital acts.
Following their acclaimed 2023 release 40 oz. to Fresno, lauded by The New York Times as “a relentlessly tuneful 17-minute collection of all-killer, no-filler power-pop” and by Pitchfork as “a loving, uncynical refinement of the band’s best,” Joyce Manor have kept busy touring and collaborating with acts such as Weezer. Their profile has expanded further with a television debut on Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney, performing “Constant Headache,” a track also featured on FX’s The Bear Season 3.
With I Used To Go To This Bar, Joyce Manor blend humour, heartbreak, and hooks into a sharp, irresistible package, cementing their place in today’s rock landscape while continuing to push their signature sound forward.
