My Chemical Romance, Pepper, Britney Spears, More Announced For Record Store Day 2020

In a few Saturdays, thousands of people (myself included) will be flocking to record stores in hopes of copping some new, exclusive vinyl records for Record Store Day 2020.

This year’s event which takes place on Saturday, April 18, will feature over hundreds of artists and musicians dropping rare, exclusive, or reissuing old records. Mainstream acts like Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones, Post Malone, Sam Smith, and Britney Spears are dropping records (ex. Spears’s release is a remix and B-sides record featuring tracks from Oops!…I Did It Again.) Scene bands like CHON, The Menzingers, Bayside, Asking Alexandria, and My Chemical Romance, will also have content.

Others dropping records of all speeds and sizes include Pepper, August Burns Red, Glass Animals, Ice Nine Kills, Hootie And The Blowfish, Odd Future, Snoop Dogg, U2, HUNNY, and Eve 6, just to name a few. To see the full RSD 2020 lineup, look for the full list here.

If you want to see if any record stores in your area are participating, click or tap here to find out.

Prenatt’s Picks: 100 Artists To Check Out In 2020 (Part 1)

It’s TIME!

That’s right, it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. The main reason you guys even read my blog.

For 2020, I’m spicing things up. Instead of the usual 50, I’m doubling it. Yeah, 100 acts. Sure you might think I’m batshit insane for doubling my amount, but it’s a new year, and I wanted to see if I could even do 100 acts. And guess what, I was able to find enough.

Here at Punk Goes Prenatt, for the next 10 weeks, I’ll give you 100 artists that you need to tune your attention to throughout 2020. This list will feature numerous acts from numerous genres.

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let the madness begin!

Glitterer

Hometown: New York, NY

Out Now: Looking Through The Shades (Anti-)

For Fans Of: Fiddlehead, Gleemer, Turnover

Glitterer was made out of boredom. No joke. Former Title Fight bassist Ned Russin created Glitterer, a shoegaze meets grunge project, to cure his boredom. With two albums under the moniker, the latest being 2019’s Looking Through The Shades, Russin is creating music the way he’s never done in the past. His music feels like a lucid dream. “I started writing songs with this little MIDI keyboard that I bought probably like four years ago now,” Russin told Discovered Magazine in an interview. While Title Fight fans might find Glitterer to be a weird departure, it will quickly grow onto you. So far he’s toured with Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Ceremony, Angel Du$t, Stages In Faith, and Fiddlehead. If you like Title Fight, you’ll like Glitterer. He’ll be on the road later this year with Mannequin Pussy.

Song to Listen to: “1001”

The Wild & Free

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Out Now: Weight Of The World – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Paramore, Tonight Alive, We Are The In Crowd

Alt-pop quartet The Wild & Free are a band that should be on your radar. These St. Louisans have the talent and skills to compete with acts like Against The Current and PVRIS. Just listen to songs like “Smoke & Mirrors” and “Paper Cut,” a track I wrote about months ago, and you’ll be hooked like I was. They went to the studio back in December with Matt Squire (3OH!3, Panic! At The Disco, Stacked Like Pancakes) and dropped “Out Of Time.” Let’s see if The Wild & Free are ready for the big leagues whenever that happens.

Song to Listen to: “Out Of Time”

Mundy’s Bay

Hometown: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Out Now: Control Room (Pure Noise)

For Fans Of: The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Title Fight

Mundy’s Bay are no strangers to this blog. The Montréal quartet first appeared back when I announced their signing to Pure Noise Records (Can’t Swim, Microwave, The Story So Far,) as well as reviewing their EP Control Room, a modern shoegaze classic. In my review, I said, “Control Room feels like a long lost 80’s album that was finally found. The three song EP takes elements found in artists of the time like Blondie, My Bloody Valentine, and The Cure while also inspired by modern acts like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Cigarettes After Sex, and Title Fight.” They’ve hit the road with acts like Defeater and Supercrush, and they’re currently touring with HUNNY. If you enjoyed Control Room, you’ll really like their debut record Lonesome Valley which drops March 13.

Song to Listen to: “Goodbye”

♥ GOJII ♥

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Out Now: WISHING STAR – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: deadmau5, Om Unit, Shawn Wasabi

Meet ♥ GOJII ♥ (pronounced Go-gee,) an agender star mouse hailing from the wonderful city of Orlando. Influenced by deadmau5 and Aphex Twin, they create mesmerizing music known as dreampop, and once you hear their music, you’ll be wanting more. Their latest EP WISHING STAR is one of the best electronic albums I’ve heard in 2019. They’ve also done remixes for Britney Spears, Childish Gambino, and deadmau5. Totally don’t sleep on them. Follow their Patreon to hear new music early.

Song to Listen to: “POP!”

The Callous Daoboys

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Out Now: Die On Mars (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: The Chariot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Number Twelve Looks Like You

Mathcore has never been this funny before. The Callous Daoboys, whose name sounds similar to the Dallas Cowboys, are a mathcore septet hailing from Atlanta and are quickly becoming a big deal in the scene. With their hilarious sense of humor and early 2000s mathcore sound that would make Botch proud, this collective are showing the world that they’re a force to be reckoned with. They’ve done shows with False Accusations, Gouge Away, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, Michael Cera Palin, and Evergreen Terrace. Oh, and their new album Die On Mars fucking slaps. You’d be an idiot to sleep on the Daoboys.

Song to Listen to: “Fake Dinosaur Bones”

State Police

Hometown: Connecticut

Out Now: The Whole World (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Edgard Varese, John Cage, Stockhausen

“There’s four large sources of inspiration I draw from: drugs, dreams, shoegaze, and avant-garde electroacoustic.” That’s what experimental electronic artist State Police, aka YungKnight, told me on Discord when talking about his influences. The Connecticut-based musician’s songs feel like a bizarre drug trip, and that comparison isn’t wrong. Hell, he made his EP Concepts while on DXM. “Drugs are a tool to access alternate states of consciousness, and always presents the user with a different and unique view of the world, one that is different from waking everyday consciousness,” he said. “I like for my music to capture these alternate states of mind, one that is not as stable as you’d find in sobriety. Things become more fluid, or jagged, slowed.” His sophomore album The Whole World is as mesmerizing as it is trippy, like on tracks “Space Bird (750 Hours)” and “DMT Fever Dreams.” No word yet if he’ll ever do shows. 

Song to Listen to: “Space Bird (750 Hours)“

Cleveland Avenue

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Out Now: True Love Is Not Just A Pizza Tattoo (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Four Year Strong, Knuckle Puck, ROAM

Originally a Blink-182 cover band, Chicago’s Cleveland Avenue are one of the many fresh faces to come out of the Windy City’s marvelous pop punk scene. Yeah, the same one that’s graced us with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, and Knuckle Puck. They got some attention when actor Matthew Lillard listened to their song “Stu Macher Is Shaggy Rogers” after guitarist/vocalist Thomas Bulvan tweeted to the actor to check it out. And Lillard loved it. “We were in total shock!” the band told Discovered Magazine. “[Tommy’s] favorite actor is Matthew Lillard so realizing that a childhood idol was taking the time to listen to our new single was incredible.” They’ve done shows with Keep Flying and Young Culture. If you want proof that pop-punk’s not dead, check out Cleveland Avenue.

Song to Listen to: “Stu Macher Is Shaggy Rogers”

THICK

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Out Now: THICK – EP (Epitaph)

For Fans Of: Diet Cig, The Julie Ruin, Lemuria

Born from NYC’s DIY scene, THICK are three ladies playing punk music their way. As they say it clearly, “THICK make music with the raw defiance of punk and addictive melodies of pop, punchy and catchy and wildly tongue-in-cheek.” Their music titled “girlwave” packs quite the punch and their shows are nothing but good times. THICK signed with Epitaph Records (Converge, The Ghost Inside, Nacsar Aloe) in 2019 and dropped a three-song self-titled EP, and will be releasing their debut 5 Years Behind on March 6. The future is female, and it’s being led by THICK. 

Song to Listen to: “Bumming Me Out”

Locket

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Out Now: All Out (Fearless)

For Fans Of: Bearings, Head North, The Wonder Years

Remember Safe To Say? Well, they’re now called Locket. Don’t let the new name scare you off, it’s still the same STS you loved a few years back. “Two years ago, we decided to walk away from touring or playing shows altogether,” frontman Brad Garcia said in a press release. “As a band, and in my personal life, we weren’t in the healthiest of places. We put things on hold in order to figure out what it was we wanted from this band if it were to continue. Looking back to those first couple months, there was always a chance we’d just put things to bed entirely — especially if the time to ourselves didn’t give us that sense of clarity we were looking for. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. This break gave us a chance to make adjustments to our personal lives, to rediscover our love for writing and playing together, and, most importantly, to resolidify those relationships as people rather than just bandmates.” Since reuniting, they’ve toured with The Dangerous Summer and Belmont. Back together, the alt-emo quartet are ready to pick back up right where they left off. Rise and shine, fellas.

Song to Listen to: “Out Of Sight”

Surfaces

Hometown: College Station, TX

Out Now: Where The Light Is (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: boy pablo, Rex Orange County, Still Woozy

While their music sounds like a tropical breeze on a sunny beach written by West Coast folks, Surfaces are from Texas. The duo made up of writer/arranger Colin Padalecki and vocalist/producer Forrest Frank are creating seductive, happy-go-lucky music that bounces around from genre to genre. Combining hip-hop, calypso, jazz, pop, and whatever they can get their hands on, Surfaces are making music that no one can touch. With the success they’ve been having, it’s shocking that a major label hasn’t picked them up yet. Last year, their “Endless Summer Tour” sold-out all of the dates. All of them. They’re quickly moving up, and you better be ready. Their third album Horizons drops February 28.

Song to Listen to: “Sunday Best”

Come back next week for more artists!

Nostalgia Critic Ruins “The Wall” For Everyone

Hello I’m Chris Prenatt, I listened to it so you don’t have to.

40 years ago, progressive rock band Pink Floyd released their masterpiece The Wall, a rock opera about a musician named Pink who builds a metaphorical wall around himself after dealing with multiple problems in his life. Bassist Roger Waters created the character Pink based on himself and former guitarist Syd Barrett. Several of the problems Pink faces were also situations Waters went through, such as their dads dying in WWII and being mistreated at school. The album was a massive hit.

Three years later, the album was turned into a film called Pink Floyd – The Wall. The film followed the album and was seen as a great film according to critics. It’s since obtained a cult status.

37 years later, the Italian born YouTuber Doug Walker, known online as the Nostalgia Critic, decided to “review” the film. And by review, I mean parody, horribly. The 40 minute video has since been torn apart by people online, having 16k likes compared to 29k dislikes.

But we’re not talking about the video, oh no. We’re talking about the album he released along with the review. Yes, Doug Walker, along with music YouTuber Rob Scallon and Grammy award winning metal vocalist Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour, made a parody version of The Wall called Nostalgia Critic’s The Wall. The 15 track album tries to add in comedy while pointing out the film’s apparent flaws. However, there’s one issue: it sucks.

Poorly mixed, godawful lyrics, jokes that Amy Schumer wouldn’t bother to steal, and the tone-deaf vocals supplied by Walker himself (along with the lyrics, go figure), Nostalgia Critic’s The Wall is the definition of cringe.

The immediate problems about the album can be found with the first song “In The Floyd,” a parody of “In The Flesh?”. The instruments done by Scallon are subpar at best, but Scallon doing subpar stuff is absolutely shocking. This is coming from the musician who has made some incredible songs and videos and has his own signature guitar. Everything feels like it was mixed in a rush, as if the album had to be ready by yesterday. Scallon trying to play guitarist David Gilmour’s power chords sounds awful, and this guy can play the guitar like a god. The hell went wrong?

Continuing, Doug’s “jokes” are flatter than a crêpe, sounding like the kind of shit 7-year-old boys would make. Seriously, “Is There Anybody Who Cares?” instead of “Is Anybody Out There?”, what the fuck? That’s not funny at all, dear god. These titles are beyond terrible, like “We Need More Victimization,” “So Long, Weird Song,” and “The Song After This One Is Really Good.”

One of the worst jokes has to be from “We Need More Victimization.” If you know the original context about “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2,” unlike Walker, you’ll know that it’s about the issues he dealt with in school in post-WWII UK in the 50s and 60s. For some reason, Walker thinks that Waters is just bitching about school like everyone does, singing, “Well oh well we got another hit in the wall / L-O-L so school sucks grow a damn pair of balls…You hated school, who the hell didn’t? / Whats next? Hating DMV’s? / Hey Waters leave it all to me / All in all, complaining doesn’t mean much at all / But who cares, its just a cool song in the wall / We don’t need to hear you, cunt / What unique boys to say schools lame.” Hey Doug, Waters’s teachers used to hit him, and you have the fucking gull to compare that to the modern U.S. education system? Are you fucking daft? The lack of research and caring is just astounding. Fuck sakes.

Now let’s talk about Walker’s vocals, or lack thereof. The way he sings is the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. His squeals are just nerve-racking and putrid. And he sings on every single song, minus two, and those two tracks are like a symphony compared to whatever the fuck he thinks singing is.

Everything about this “comedy” album rubs me the wrong way. If there’s one thing to know about a comedy album, it’s supposed to be funny. Well Walker somehow missed that memo because this is the farthest thing from funny. Nothing on this album will make you laugh. Instead, you’ll just cringe throughout, praying to whatever god you believe in that this hell will eventually end. And you got Corey Taylor of Slipknot to sing the Spongebob Squarepants theme song cause it’s “funny?” Fuck you, man.

The only good track that I will say has to be “Fennah’s The Trial.” In the video, this song is animated by YouTuber FENNAH, who makes some beautiful, strange looking animations. The only reason this song is tolerable are the different singers on the song, greatly overshadowing the shit Walker spewed out. But the lyrics as usual are bad. Go figure.

Overall, it’s one big pile of shit. It’s not worth your time, it wasn’t worth my time, fuck, it’s not worth anyone’s time. You know how the CIA tortured terrorists at Guantánamo Bay with bad songs by Eminem, Nine Inch Nails, and Britney Spears? Well, they should add Nostalgia Critic’s The Wall due to how torturing the album is.

I’m not even a huge fan of Pink Floyd, but this cancer made me appreciate the band even more. Doug, never do music again. Ever.