If you’re an alternative, pop-punk or indie rock lover looking for procrastination material that isn’t just scrolling on your phone, the Jan. 30 release of “I Used To Go To This Bar” by Joyce Manor should hit the spot.
This bitesize album is shorter than my commute to campus, with a 19-minute runtime characteristic of the band’s previous releases. It left me wanting a bit more punk than pop, but I still enjoyed the slight genre jumping in their sound!
“I Know Where Mark Chen Lives” wastes no time to suck you in with punk rock vocals and the drums and guitar fans of Joyce Manor are familiar with. This album almost feels like a shuffled mix that explores indie rock, a sprinkle of 2000s pop-punk garage rock synth in “Falling Into It” and twang cowboy country guitar chords in “All My Friends are so Depressed”.
The traditional, analog sound and acoustic drum kits keeps the EP rooted in the basement show sound that put them on the map. The lyrics align with post hardcore, emo revival and talk about nostalgia, life-altering events, lost love, bad days and facing burnout as the band ages out of the scene.
They evade eyeroll worthy, poetic cliches that came with the heyday of emo. Yet, they still have some self-awareness of how corny the genre can be — which they use to their advantage — making “I Used To Go To This Bar” and “After All You Put Me Through” fun and emotionally reflective without taking themselves too seriously.
My personal favorite track, “The Opposum” stands out to me, showcasing the bands instrumental technical abilities with a hint of midwest emo and math rock. The lyrics remind me of the heartbreak and weird transitional phase between teenage rebellion and reality of adulthood a lot of us have faced in college.
“Well, Don’t It Seem Like You’ve Been Here Before?” and “Grey Guitar” round the album out with blend of acoustic and alt rock, making for a cohesive conclusion.
Even though the album was short, these songs offered just enough to keep me satisfied, so I’d say giving their 7th studio album a listen is worth the procrastination.
The cover of Joyce Manor’s new album: I Used To Go To This Bar. Picture by Bandcamp.