If It's Too Loud...

There seems to be a trend lately of bass players from Boston based ska punk bands releasing solo music. (Two is a trend, ok?!??!) The latest is Big D and The Kids Table's Ben Basile, who recently released "Mountain Road." This new song is an instrumental that is a throwback to classic ska, just with modern production values. It's smooth while being both laid back and energetic. This is a truly fun keyboard heavy song that is undeniably catchy even without lyrics. At the very least, it's going to inspire you to search for first wave ska playlists on Spotify, and that's hardly a band thing. Ben Basile says of his new solo single: "'Mountain Road' was written to represent where I am now in life... It's literally the road I live on currently." You can listen to "Mountain Road" below. Benergy is due out this spring on Sleep Walk Sounds, which is an imprint of Wiretap Records. For more on Ben Basile, check out the artist's website...

Photo by Rudi T Cruz Go Betty Go started off in 2000 as a local Los Angeles band, and quickly toured the country with the Warped Tour. They released Nothing is More in 2005, before a hiatus which ended in 2015. They're back again with an upcoming EP and a new single and video. "Party at Sea" is that perfect mix of punk meets garage rock that I personally love. It's catchy and surprisingly groovy, but with guitars that have just enough of a buzzy edge to keep things punk. This one is a fun rock and roll song that treats the band's punk and soul influences equally. If you can't enjoy "Party at Sea," you might want to reevaluate your entire outlook on life. You can watch the video for "Party at Sea" below. Black & Blue is due out September 13 on Wiretap Records. For more on Go Betty Go, check out the band's website .

The Goodwin Club formed in 1993 during the Orange County third wave ska scene, playing shows with Sublime, No Doubt, and The Aquabats before breaking up in 1995. The members went on to play with band like Reel Big Fish, The Aquabats, The Hippos, The Scholars, and Teen Heroes. Now, thirty years later, they're back together with new music! "See All Color" is pure mid-90's ska. It's high energy and fun ska, although possibly a little more mature than you might associate with that scene. Ska is going through a bit of an underground revival right now, going from a guilty pleasure to just great music. The Goodwin Club have re-formed at a perfect time, and if you're just discovering them like we are, you're welcome! The band says of their reunion: "30 years between album releases might sound impossible to some, but we in The Goodwin Club stare impossibility square in the eyes and say NAY, It shall be done! "We’ve loved creating the best high energy live...

Photo by Johnny Corona Jr. Ska is a lot of things, but it's rarely bad ass. Apparently no one told CodeName: Rocky that. Their latest single, "Killing the Chemist," is straight up punk rock that just happens to have a killer horn section. Most use of horns in ska adds a sense of fun and levity, but the SoCal band uses them to make the song heavier. "Killing the Chemist" is a heavy and fast punk song that is loaded with a horn section. This one is much closer to a band like Bad Religion than your typical ska band could ever dream of being. Justin Picon says of his band's new single: "The song was inspired by my sister-in-law (Christina) & her husband (Jeff). Jeff is a Marine that served in Desert Shield & Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait under the first Bush. I actually wrote the song in 2016 when I found out Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer… I used Jeff’s actual war experience to create the metaphor for Christina’s upcoming canc...

Los Angeles' Go Betty Go won us over with "Keep Up," and now the Latina punk band are back with a new single. If we thought "Keep Up" was a shining example of melodic punk, "We Talk a Lot" goes a step further into melody. The song is filled with pop hooks without being pop punk, and includes some of my favorite "oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh"s of any punk song this year. It's an upbeat and sunny sounding track with guitars that still bite. Go Betty Go are a glorious example of power pop mixed with punk rock, and "We Talk a Lot" is an absolute joy to listen to. Lead vocalist Nicolette Vilar says of the new song: “‘We Talk A Lot’ is a song that dives into that feeling we all feel and have felt, when you're falling in love with a friend, partner, life, etc… and you just want to take off on an adventure together and have it never end. It's a wonderful place to be and hopefully, everyone has a chance to experience that at least once in the...

Go Betty Go formed in Glendale, CA in 2000 when the members will still teens. The band toured relentlessly, playing multiple Warped Tours and seemed set to break out. In 2005, they released an album on Side One Dummy Records, and went on another tour. That tour was never finished as singer Nicolette Vilar burnt out and quit the band. Friends and fans convinced them to reunite for one last show in 2012, but they ended up fully reuniting. 2020 threw them off (obviously), and in 2022 guitarist Betty Cisneros was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The band worked around her illness and doctor's visits, and are back with new music.  "Keep Up" is a fast paced and melodic punk song. It's the kind of punk that's mixed with straight up rock and roll. The struggles the band faced in the past three years is palpable in "Keep Up." This one reminds me of The Donnas meets Bad Religion. It just has that throwback early rock and roll laced punk mixed with the more melodic s...

Photo by Sheer Pink Photography Hailing from Isle of Wight, Reminders have just released one of the most fantastically British pop punk songs in recent memory. While most of the music you associate with as pop punk has that bratty Southern California sound no matter where the band is from, "International Dial Tone" sounds completely British. It's a song that sounds much more like a mixture of Buzzcocks and early Arctic Monkeys than Sum 41 or Blink 182. It has just enough of a punk edge to stand above most other songs in the genre but still pop enough to have mainstream appeal. You can listen to "International Dial Tone" below. The single is out now via Venn Records in the UK and Wiretap Records in the US. For more on Reminders, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Salt Lake City's Wicked Bears are pop punk in the best possible way. Their new single, "Lucky," has that great 90's throwback feel to it. It's aggressive and a little bratty, but it's almost impossibly catchy. At first listen it's a little dumb, but the more you listen the more clever it becomes. It's a funny and silly song while being a truly heartfelt love song in disguise. "Lucky" is the kind of song that you might be a little embarrassed for liking at first, but by the time it's over you're going to end up wholeheartedly loving it. Instead of making you feel old, it's going to remind you of everything you enjoyed about being young. Wicked Bears say of their new song: "If you've ever dedicated $20 to a claw machine and gone home empty-handed, this song is for you. If you've ever felt like, no matter what road you take, there's gonna be a dead end at the end of it, this song is for you. If you've ever been a...

Back in June we brought you "Maybe You Were Right About Me" from American Thrills, calling it "rough around the edges" and "just shy of emo or pop punk." Now the Connecticut band is back with "Ego Death," which fits right in with that description. It's still an incredibly catchy song that is just an anthem waiting to happen. It's really like if Bruce Springsteen had been transformed after trying to write a song for the Ramones but then time travelled and was inspired by Jade Tree Records in the late 90's. The dichotomy of how abrasive parts of this song are while still being this catchy is what makes "Ego Death" so appealing. The band says of the new single: "We reached out to Scott Stapp on multiple platforms and he refused to sing on this track. Dude is a poser. We will be spitefully playing Creed songs at Fest later this month. Be there or be square." You can listen to "Ego Death" below. Parted Ways is...

Photo by Johnny Corona Jr Whenever I write about ska punk, I always expect to get some sort of backlash, but I never do. As reviled as the genre is in some circles, it could be because most current up and coming ska punk bands have this great DIY feel. They're certainly not doing it because it's the hip trend, but because they love the music. Our latest discovery is Codename: Rocky. The Southern California based band (because of course they are) has released a new single, "Silos." This new song has all of the horns and fun that you need in a ska song, but Codename: Rocky have a little bit of an edge to them that you might not expect. This is while still having a strong classic pop punk and emo sound. "Silos" could have this great juxtaposition because of the socially relevant subject matter embedded in a fun sounding song. If you want your ska punk to have a little bit of grit along with the bounce and shine and would love emo if it wasn't traditionally ...

I truly love the variations on shoegaze that have been coming out lately. Antelope Valley, CA's Bed have put their own spin on the sound with "Blue Sweater." The song has a lot more energy to it than you typically get with shoegaze. In fact, this is downright bouncy. "Blue Sweater" is more like mid-90's alt-rock that still has some of the crunch of grunge but is starting to veer more into a power pop sound. And, of course, it also has that swirling haze you get with shoegaze.  Bed started out as a solo bedroom project by frontman Ebed "bed" Moreno. He talks about the origins of the band: "At my first show, I didn't have a band at the time, so my band was literally my laptop plugged into a PA and me on guitar and vocals. and people actually liked it. “Eventually those backyards turned to venues and the crowds got bigger. We really hit a shift when we had the privilege of going on tour with one of my favorite bands, Beach Goons, and our firs...

Photo via Facebook Hailing from Connecticut, American Thrills are making a straight up rock based version of punk rock. Their latest single, "Maybe You Were Right About Me," doesn't really sound like a New England kind of band. It's a punk rock song that is rough around the edges despite how much it's relying on being catchy and is just barely shy of being emo or pop punk. But there is something really straight up classic rock about "Maybe You Were Right About Me" in a Bruce Springsteen sort of way. It's a giant anthemic song just begging to be played in an arena or festival, while still being perfect for a dive bar. You can listen to "Maybe You Were Right About Me" below. The song will be on American Thrills's debut album which is due out in the Fall on Wiretap Records. For more on American Thrills, check out the band's website .

With the runaway popularity of Wet Leg, it makes sense that we'd start hearing more bands from Isle of Wright. If Isle of Wright is going to be the next Seattle, Reminders are a great new addition. Their latest single, "Post Paris Blues," isn't the kind of music that we'd normally associate with England. Instead, it sounds more like southern California's finest skate punk or mall punk, but with a British accent which gives it a new kind of bratty edge. Notice that I didn't call it pop punk. Although there are definitely pop hooks with "Post Paris Blues," I can't call it pop punk with a good conscience. This is a great fun song, and a great debut for a band that could be primed to be next to explode. Frontman Leo Dyke says of the new song: "This song came about because I was unhappy with a girlfriend at the time, and I saw an Instagram post from a girl I used to see and her new boyfriend in Paris. I guess at the time I wished I were him, ...

It's been a few months since we last brought you new music from Space Cadet. The band (which features Matt Hock and Dave Walsh of The Explosion) has a new single out. "Start Running Away" is more of the jangly, reverb heavy rock that we loved in their last single, but this new one shows off a little more of the punk edge of the duo's other band. It could just be the gang (of two) vocals on the chorus, or the appearance of Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat) on guitar, but "Start Running Away" is more of a rock song. It almost has a Mission of Burma goes New Wave and straight up rock vibe. You can watch the video for "Start Running Away" below. Lion on a Leash  is due out March 26 on Wiretap Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Space Cadet, check out the band's Facebook .

Photo via Facebook When you hear that Matt Hock and David Walsh of The Explosion have formed a new band, you're going to assume that it's pretty hard, fast, and heavy punk. If so, you'd be quite wrong. Space Cadet have released a new single, and it's about as far from The Explosion's sound as you could get. "Forever for a While" is an upbeat, jangly pop song. It's much more New Wave and reverb heavy British rock than I could ever have expected. It reminds me a lot of British bands that came out in the late 90's after Brit pop but that were lumped into Brit pop just by being English.  Matt Hock says of the new song:  “By the time the world shut down, we had four songs written and Forever For A While was the first. We just kept pulling at that thread, experimenting more and more until we had an album. In a very real way, the song was the catalyst for all of that, and for the band itself. But it can also just be seen as what happens when obsessive lun...

Earlier this year, in the before times, we were thrilled to bring you Brooklyn's Answering Machine, a pop punk band that includes two public school teachers and their grown up pop punk sound. Considering how much we love covers, we're even more thrilled to bring you their cover of The Clash's "Clampdown." It's a surprisingly stripped down acoustic cover, but Answering Machine make it work. I typically get very judgmental over Clash covers that change the original, but these folks do it right! You can listen to Answering Machine's version of "Clampdown" below. The song is available on ATTENTION: A Black Lives Matter Compilation from Wiretap Records. It's an all covers compilation raising money for Black Lives Matter, and also includes American Television covering Operation Ivy. You can get your copy via Bandcamp . For more on Answering Machine, check them out on Facebook . ATTENTION: A Black Lives Matter Compilation by Answering Machine

Last month we brought you "Bad Luck," the wonderfully grown up slice of pop punk from Brooklyn's Answering Machine. Their latest single, "Cherry Coke," is one of my favorite punk tropes: The homage to sugary sweet 60's teen pop. "Cherry Coke" is a the kind of song that bands like the Ramones or The Queers did. It's a gorgeous power pop song that would sound like something The Archies would have done if the guitars weren't just a little too biting and fuzzy for. Samantha and JD's vocals intertwine in some of the best harmonies we've ever heard in a punk song.  According to vocalist and guitarist J.D. Fetcho (and I promise I wrote the above paragraph before reading this...):  “‘Cherry Coke’ is a love song about fever dreams, bloody noses, and candy canes. “It’s for all the old folks who want to settle down but still have some fun. This one’s inspired by a love of Buddy Holly, 60s pop music, and The Ramones.” You can listen to ...

You know you're old when you read about a band started by two public school teachers and think that sounds cool. That's the origin story of Brooklyn's Answering Machine, and the two teachers are singer Samantha and guitarist JD. Their new single "Bad Luck" is this brilliant blend of pop punk mixed with American roots music. According to their press release, " Their influences range everywhere from  The Replacements, The Ramones, Blondie, The Ronettes, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks , and  Bruce Springsteen  to  Jenny Lewis, Against Me , and plenty in between." I wouldn't normally include a list of influences in a review, especially since the lists in a press release don't normally sound anything like the band, but you can truly hear every single one of those bands in "Bad Luck." This is the rare type of pop punk that you can listen to as a grown up without being embarrassed or feeling creepy. You can watch the video for "Bad Luck...

I'm starting to think Washington DC is the only place that bands know how to pull off "melodic punk." American Television fit that with their new single, "Standing Still." At just over two minutes, it's fast and heavy while still being insanely catchy and melodic. It's incredibly rare for a band to pull off the edge of punk while being bouncy, and American Television do it perfectly. In a press release, the band explains the song: " Similar to ‘Glory Days’ by Bruce Springsteen, or even ‘Glory Days’ by Pkew Pkew Pkew, ‘Standing Still’ is a song about being stuck in the past and reliving accomplishments from your youth rather than focusing on your present and future. The world is moving a mile a minute these days, probably headed for complete disaster, so being focused on that big game from high school or trivial accomplishments from your college days seems so short-sighted. Forget the glory days; we need you today.” You can watch the video for ...

Photo by Zach Bauman Berwanger is the latest musical project from Josh Berwanger of The Anniversary and Radar State. His latest single, "Bad Vibrations," is perfect for fans of his other projects while still being completely different. It's a chill dance rock song with a ton of harmonizing and back up vocals. It's fun, but not in that embarrassing ways a lot of dance music is. This is dance music for (somewhat) grown ups. Berwanger says of the song: “On this new record, I often use the word "you”, but I’m actually referring to "me". In other words, I'm talking to myself. This song is about my social anxieties because I usually feel awkward in public. Which makes me think I sometimes give off bad vibrations when most likely I'm just spaced out, off on another planet. Or maybe a better example is how Garth feels when Wayne ditches him on set in Wayne's World.” You can watch the video for "Bad Vibrations" below. Watching a Gar...