Joyce Manor Flashes to the Past in New Single

Joyce Manor just keeps the nostalgia coming. The SoCal pop rockers have released “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives,” a blistering track steeped in memories from the past. It’s a fitting second single from their upcoming, wistfully-titled album, I Used to Go to This Bar.

That long song title not only takes from early-aughts emo tradition, it’s also a nod to a screamo band leader. “Mark Chen was a singer and songwriter for the bands Summer Vacation and Winter Break, which didn’t get quite as popular as they deserved to,” lead singer Barry Johnson said in a statement. “I just love Mark’s songwriting and voice,” he added.

Johnson went on to explain the stream of conscious lines in the song. “Lyrically, the song was inspired by Chase and I hanging out, drinking and smoking weed and laughing about stuff, and we were talking about how when weed clubs first started, they’d give you a free dab and the budtender would do a dab with you,” he said. “Dabs are insanely gnarly. I was cracking myself up imagining some 19-year-old girl that just did her third dab of the hour before getting robbed at gunpoint, because they’d always get robbed as cash businesses. That’s the imagery of the song: Those early days when weed was still not super fully legal. It was like the Wild West, a little bit. And yeah, that just gave me a chuckle because it’s really dark and brutal,” he added.

Joyce Manor also leaned into nostalgia for the “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives” video. Directed by Jason Link and Rowan Daly, the visual is a black and white shot of the band performing in what looks like a cramped practice space from their early days.

The band might be thematically diving into the past, but their present is equally thrilling. In October, Joyce Manor announced I Used to Go to This Bar, their seventh studio album and first since 2022’s 40 Oz. to Fresno. The band will also be taking the album on the road, hitting U.S. cities this spring. Joyce Manor are also set to perform during Coachella 2026.