With nine tracks in nineteen minutes, I Used To Go To This Bar shouldn’t feel as big as it does. Most of the songs barely break the two-minute mark and yet somehow every last one of them lands like an anthem. This is direct, quick-fire emo with no indulgence and no wasted time.

Falling Into It introduces a warm Weezer-esque synth in the verses with tight harmonies before the triumphant chorus, and it’s magic how something so short can feel so fully formed. These songs arrive, state their case, and leave, feeling like fully realised pop-punk songs that trust their hooks. When Well, Whatever It Was crashes into its chorus there’s so much confidence in how pop-punk works, and the warmth in the production separates Joyce Manor from a lot of their contemporaries with a rootsy authenticity. All My Friends Are So Depressed veers folkward with performances that are pitch-perfect and avoid the block-of-noise production that often plagues the genre. The title track is a masterclass in songwriting with every line of the verse barreling forward at pace except for a single held syllable to create tension, recalling Mark Hoppus. The Opposum is a rollicking highlight, with restless and yearning guitar picking that edges towards a restless psychobilly energy. Across nine tracks there’s no filler and no unnecessary breakdowns, just sharp songwriting delivered with conviction, and songs boiled down to their essential core. Joyce Manor write big moments and trust them to land without stretching them, and it’s astonishingly anthemic given its runtime. Quick, hook-driven emo with subtle folk inflections and a warmth in the production that feels considered and authentic. Where a lot of pop-punk can feel overly glossy and dramatic, Joyce Manor sound reflective, grown up, and tighter than ever.