If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Michael Dubin Matt Pryor may be best known for his work with emo heroes The Get Up Kids, but he has a much wider musical range than that. His latest single with The Salton Sea shows his more alt-rock based side' "Union Transfer" is a huge power ballad of a song, heavy with emotion and an intense musical backdrop. This is the type of song begging to be played live, with a raucous, noisy crescendo. It starts off simply enough, and is right along the lines of what you might expect for a Get Up Kids solo song to sound like. But "Union Transfer" ends up going in such a delightfully unexpected direction that it's cranked up our excitement for the full length album. Matt Pryor says of his latest single: “This is the most vulnerable song I’ve ever written. It marks the place and date of where I hit rock bottom." You can listen to "Union Transfer" below. The Salton Sea is due out November 14 on Nightshoes Syndicate/Big Scary Monsters, and is a...

Photo by Michael Dubin While many people in the realm of punk release solo albums, they tend to be along the lines of acoustic/folky songs. That's not the case with Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids), who just released a new single under the moniker Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea. "The Dishonesty" may have acoustic elements, but it's a straight up rock song with nary a hint of The Get Up Kids' Midwest emo sound. Longtime fans of Pryor's are going to find a lot to love in "The Dishonesty," as it is slightly emo adjacent. It's a little more chill than we're used to from Pryor while still being upbeat and almost pogo worthy. Matt Pryor says of his latest single: “This is a song about lying and hurting the people you love when you’re in the throes of addiction. I think Josh [Berwanger, director of the video for "The Dishonesty] really captured the insanity of how that feels."  You can watch the video for "The Dishonesty" below. The...

Photo by Michael Dubin Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids) has announced his seventh solo album and has released the title track. Performing as Matt Pryor & The Salton Sea, "The Salton Sea" is kind of what we would expect from a solo single from Pryor at this point, and that isn't a bad thing. There's a lot for long term fans of The Get Up Kids to enjoy here. The song lands squarely in the middle of his more punk based singles from his other band and the quieter, more acoustic songs they also do. "The Salton Sea" isn't an acoustic solo song, and instead is a melancholy and highly personal rock song. I'm not sure if many fans would consider this an emo song, but at the very least it's emo adjacent. If you've ever been a fan of any of Pryor's previous releases, this one is well worth your time. Matt Pryor says of his upcoming album: “Three years ago I was in the darkest place of my life and this song really reflects that time. I was lost, alon...

The Get Up Kids Photo by Ken Sears The Get Up Kids are one of those bands that have always been a guilty pleasure for me. When I discovered them, I felt like I was too old to be into them. That's probably because I was in my early to mid 20's and a lot of their fans were teenagers. Plus, my music snobbery hated to admit I liked a popular emo band. But, Something to Write Home About was always my go to album of theirs. I'd pull it out and listen every six to nine months or so and be blown away at how great it was as a whole. When The Get Up Kids announced they were going on a twenty-fifth anniversary tour for that album and playing it in full, I knew I couldn't miss it. Smoking Popes Photo by Ken Sears Smoking Popes opened the show, and I was embarrassingly not familiar with them. They've long been a band I've known was great and always meant to spend more time listening to them, but for whatever reason I just never did. Well, turns out they are fantastic. They...