Review Summary: An album so infectious, your only complaint will be that it ended too quickly.
Since their inception, Joyce Manor has – for better or worse – stuck to a very similar formula for each of their studio albums; they’re all incredibly short (especially compared to their peers in the genre) and to the point, while also rarely sacrificing the infectious energy one would expect from a pop punk group. If ever there was a band to embrace the mantra of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” it’s them. However, it’s not often that a band can stick to such a similar formula for so long without their returns diminishing over time; after several releases, Joyce Manor no longer seemed capable of matching the acclaim of their debut. Surprisingly, not only is
I Used To Go To This Bar a stellar album from start-to-finish and far and away their best album in years, but it might even rival their debut.
For a studio LP to only be 19 minutes in length, there absolutely cannot be any filler – even a few seconds of filler on an album this short will feel like minutes to the listener. Joyce Manor, thankfully, show a strong editorial instinct, delivering only what’s essential in their songs. Due to this talent for editing, not a single moment of
I Used To Go To This Bar feels like it goes to waste. Perhaps even more satisfying than the level of quality to these tracks is how varied they all are from one another. You have your typical earworm, high-energy pop punk tracks like
I Know Where Mark Chen Lives and
Well, Don’t It Seem Like You’ve Been Here Before?, as well as slower-paced, more solemn songs like
All My Friends Are So Depressed (which also happens to be one of the few songs to feature a more folky, americana-type sound).
For transparency’s sake, I’ll admit that I used to be a vocal critic of Joyce Manor’s tendency to write very short songs and release albums that are shorter than some EPs; I used to perceive it as a lack of effort and not worth the years-long wait between albums. They have effectively won me over with
I Used To Go To This Bar. With most songs being roughly two minutes or less, even the “worst” songs on the album (which still aren’t even all that bad) feel much easier to digest, since they never outstay their welcome. Be that as it may, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the songs’ short length can sometimes have the opposite effect on the album’s best songs;
The Opposum and
Grey Guitar are both so extraordinary that two minutes simply doesn’t do either song justice, and their abrupt endings will leave you yearning for more. Although, these songs’ bite-sized nature ultimately works in the album’s favor.
I Used To Go To This Bar isn’t just a career highlight for Joyce Manor; it’s also an early contender for album of the year. The Californian punk-rock trio showcase a level of musicianship that’s rare to see in the genre, and when an album’s only real downside is “I wish it were longer,” it’s difficult to argue against the overall stellar quality of the music itself.
4.5 out of 5
