The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2024 (Part Three)

This is part three of four. If you haven’t read part one yet, check it out here.

In 2024, we’re getting several great albums some several great bands and artists, but out of all the albums that are coming out this year, these are the ones you need to keep your eyes on. Here are the most anticipated albums of 2024, in no particular order.

Sum 41
Album: Heaven :x: Hell (Rise)
Release Date: 3/29

After 28 years, it all comes down to this. The final album from Canadian pop-punk/metal legends Sum 41. Their eighth album Heaven :x: Hell combines the two genres Sum 41 are best known for: pop-punk and heavy metal, a style they’ve been pulling off since the 2010s. It’s their only release on Rise Records (Alkaline Trio, Harper, You Me At Six,) after spending the later half of the 2010s with Californian independent label Hopeless Records (Hey Violet, PVRIS, The Wonder Years.) Whether you’re a fan who’s nostalgic for their old school pop-punk days, or a fan of their modern heavy hitting metal sound, Heaven :x: Hell will be the best of both worlds.

Jon Snodgrass
Album: Barge At Will (Thousand Islands)
Release Date: 3/29

Jon Snodgrass is getting a little help from his friends. He spent the recording process for his upcoming album Barge At Will at his home in Fort Collins, Colo., and at The Blasting Room, a studio owned by Bill Stevenson (All, Black Flag, Descendents.) Stevenson played the drums, while his other friends Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music), Chris Cresswell (The Flatliners), Peter “JR” Wasilewski (Less Than Jake), and Scott Reynolds (All,) helped in their own ways. Barge At Will began with of all things, writing a new jingle for a Colorado Rockies podcast. “At the end of the podcast I said, ‘you guys need a new jingle. This thing that you have it is fucking terrible.’ So, I wrote a new jingle for them,” Snodgrass told New Noise Magazine in an interview. “Then when that happened and they aired the thing, they made a comment, ‘so this guy’s a cool guy. He says he likes making up these songs on the spot.’ Hit him up, you can get a jingle. I ended up having to tell them a week or so later, ‘you don’t have to say that anymore because I’m kind of backed up with work.’” Thus he had all these songs, and with Bill’s help, and some help from friends, Barge At Will was born. It’s good to have friends.

Dustin Kensrue
Album: Desert Dreaming (Vagrant)
Release Date: 4/5

Let me be honest for a sec. I honestly didn’t know Vagrant Records (Alexisonfire, The Get Up Kids, Reggie And The Full Effect) was still kicking. The only bit of life I saw from the legendary emo label was a 25th anniversary show last year featuring numerous alumni. So color me surprised when I saw that Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue was dropping his fifth solo album (his first of original music since 2015’s Carry The Fire) ─ Desert Dreaming ─ next month on the label. From what I’ve heard so far, it’s some classic Americana, possibly the only Americana album I’ve ever put on this list. Long live Vagrant and celebrate its history with the charming tunes of Dustin Kensrue.

Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties
Album: In Lieu Of Flowers (Hopeless/Loneliest Places On Earth)
Release Date: 4/12

The sad and miserable tale of everyone’s favorite underdog continues. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, the beloved character study from the mind of The Wonder Years’s frontman Dan Campbell, is back in the saddle with his third album In Lieu Of Flowers. According to a press release, ILOF “picks up”picks up where Routine Maintenance left off” and has Mr. West “tend to the wounds he’s ignored for over a decade.” I can’t wait to hear more of Aaron’s story. Possible album of the year contender right here. We love you, Aaron, you poor bastard.

Cloud Nothings
Album: Final Summer (Pure Noise)
Release Date: 4/19

It’s a new era for Cloud Nothings. First, they left longtime label Carpark Records (@, Ducks Ltd., Rui Gabriel.) Second, they joined Pure Noise Records (The Amity Affliction, Galactic Empire, Koyo.) And third, their new album Final Summer drops April 19. “We’re really glad to be working with Pure Noise. It’s exciting to be on a label with so many great punk bands, and it’s going to be inspiring to see our music standing alongside the myriad sick records that Pure Noise has released,” frontman Dylan Baldi said in a press release.

The Ghost Inside
Album: Searching For Solace (Epitaph)
Release Date: 4/19

Four years have passed since The Ghost Inside unleashed their comeback album The Ghost Inside to the world. It was worth the wait after their fatal bus crash back in 2015. In the nine years since the accident, they’ve grown closer than ever before, and have sounded tighter than ever. With this momentum, they’re pushing themselves further with Searching For Solace, the band’s sixth album. “People always ask me how I remain positive,” frontman Jonathan Vigil tells Knotfest. “I’m realizing now that there’s never really a time where you reach that point of ‘happiness.’ It’s a constant journey. I know that life is hills and valleys. You must be willing to embrace new things, stand up for yourself, and adapt. Because the goalposts just move further away. The search for solace never ends.” The comeback is over. Now it’s time to continue right where they left off.

Frank Turner
Album: Undefeated (Xtra Mile)
Release Date: 5/3

Frank Turner is truly undefeated. After spending a decade with major label Polydor (Belters Only, Elbow, The Rolling Stones,) Frank’s going back to where it all started: indie labels. His old label Xtra Mile Recordings (Beans On Toast, HalfNoise, Rob Lynch) have snatched him up to release Undefeated in early May. “After the pandemic, back in the independent world, with a new drummer, I feel proud, grateful and pleasantly surprised to be putting out a record that I love with all my heart, that I think might be one of my best,” Frank writes on his blog. “It’s a defiant, energetic record about growing old disgracefully and making peace with that. I’m still standing up, still have something to share with the world, and I’m excited to let you know about it.” Ten albums in, Frank still shows that he has a lot left to prove, and with killer songs to boot. He was influenced heavily by The Hold Steady and Loudon Wainwright III, muses he’s called “people who write about adulthood.”

Knocked Loose
Album: You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To (Pure Noise)
Release Date: 5/10

Is it too soon to say album of the year? Knocked Loose are ready to break bones and created mosh pits again with their long-awaited third record, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. Produced by Grammy nominated producer WZRD BLD aka Drew Fulk (Disturbed, For All Those Sleeping, Lil Wayne,) YWGBYST picks up right after their beloved sophomore effort A Different Shade Of Blue and their EP A Tear In The Fabric Of Life. After gracing the stages of Coachella and Bonnaroo, Knocked Loose are bigger than ever, so the album has to be equally bigger than ever. As Blabbermouth.com puts it, “[Knocked Loose] have honed in on a diverse, cohesive and savagely aggressive album that sums up the massive strides they’ve taken during their decade as a band, and asserts their boundless potential going forward.” The album has features from Poppy and Chris Motionless of Motionless In White (KL frontman Bryan Garris appeared on MIW’s song “Slaughterhouse” from their 2022 album Scoring The End Of The World.)

Say Anything
Album: …Is Committed (Dine Alone)
Release Date: 5/24

Only a band like Say Anything could make a meta record. The first track on their comeback record …Is Committed is literally titled “Introduction To The Reunion Record.” “[…Is Committed]’s a satire of everything our band was, and the idea of every emo band coming back after five years, going back to basics and grasping for the fanbase they discarded so callously by diving headfirst into their fans’ wants and needs, instead of gorging on major label cash and then still trying to be the next Animal Collective or Strokes despite what their band actually sounds like, to be thwarted every time by indie gatekeepers,” the group wrote on social media. Produced by Brad Wood (Better Than Ezra, Placebo, Touché Amoré,) who also produced their 2007 double album In Defense Of The Genre, …Is Committed was written by frontman Max Bemis, according to an interview with Alternative Press, “…during a period of such searing trauma and loneliness that not having my parental BFF by my proverbial side felt like an affront even if my mom was just trying to deal with other issues that come with being a child-soul with grown-person decisions to make.”

Mayday Parade
Album: TBA (Self-Released)
Release Date: TBA

Mayday Parade are doing things on their own terms this time with their upcoming album. For the first time since the band’s debut EP, they’ve fully independent. While no word has been officially made, the band have posted photos on social media of them in the studio. So far we have gotten a few singles as well as a collaboration with lo-fi artist Less Gravity called Mayday Parade Lofi featuring lo-fi remixes of classic MP songs.

Part four will come out next week!

The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2023 (Part Three)

This is part three of four. If you haven’t read part two yet, check it out here. 

In 2023, we’re getting several great albums some several great bands and artists, but out of all the albums that are coming out this year, these are the ones you need to keep your eyes on. Here are the most anticipated albums of 2023, in no particular order.

Can’t Swim

Album: Thanks But No Thanks (Pure Noise)

Release Date: 3/3

New Jersey’s finest emo-pop quartet is dropping a banger in less than a month. Can’t Swim’s fourth album Thanks But No Thanks features some already killer singles like “Nowhere, Ohio,” and “me vs me vs all of y’all,” but it’ll feature their heavily emotional hit “​i heard they found you face down inside your living room.” If you haven’t given this one a listen yet, please do so right now. “[It’s] about the time I received a phone call that one of my friends had committed suicide. The lyrics describe not being able to fathom living without them,” frontman Chris LoPorto said about the track. “The confusion, regret, and resentment have sat heavy in my heart for a long time but writing this song has given me some sort of solace and relief. Obviously, a very dark song but I hope it can provide some sort of comfort to others who have gone through this similar circumstance.” Check it out along with the rest of the record when it drops March 3 via Pure Noise Records (Born Without Bones, Grumpster, Real Friends.)

AJJ

Album: Disposable Everything (Hopeless)

Release Date: 5/26

AJJ being on Hopeless Records (Grabbitz, New Found Glory, With Confidence) still feels bizarre. I mean, Hopeless has diddled with folk in the past, working with Floridian act Damion Suomi And The Minor Prophets over a decade ago. That doesn’t matter right now. Arizonian folk punk icons AJJ are dropping their eighth record this May. Frontman Sean Bonnette said this album deals with a lot of things, such as late capitalism, apocalyptic themes, and the death of Sean’s mother. “A large part of this album is the terrible thing I’ve been imagining finally happened,” Bonnette mentioned in a press release. A big theme is my mom’s death, which is something I think everyone lives in terror of. But once it happens and you’re still alive, you figure out how to move on. It is, in some weird way, our happiest record.”

Meet Me @ The Altar

Album: Past // Present // Future (Fueled By Ramen)

Release Date: 3/10

Well they were only off by a year. Originally positioned to come out sometime in 2022, until it got shelved to a 2023 release date back in June, East Coast pop-punk trio Meet Me @ The Altar will finally give us their debut full-length album Past // Present // Future on March 10. After dropping four EPs, one with their first label Fueled By Ramen (Fall Out Boy, nothing,nowhere., Waterparks) in 2021, fans — including the band themselves — cannot wait for it to drop. “This album pays homage to the music we loved growing up while reflecting our modern-day lives, sounds, and experiences – we can’t wait to share Past // Present // Future with the world.” Get stoked.

Samiam

Album: Stowaway (Pure Noise)

Release Date: 3/31

Glad to have you back, guys. Berkley punk legends Samiam announced all the way back in 2019 that their ninth album was in the works. Fast forward four years later and it’s finally here. Stowaway drops March 31 on their new label Pure Noise Records. This record has been in the works for over a decade, with work taking place in various studios, including Billie Joe Armstrong’s Otis Studio.

The Gaslight Anthem

Album: TBA (TBA)

Release Date: TBA

When The Gaslight Anthem announced their reunion last March, they said that a new record would be out eventually. Frontman Brian Fallon wrote on Instagram, “We’re also beginning to write new songs for what will be our sixth LP. We’re very much looking forward to the future and seeing you all again. We want to thank you for staying with us. Stay tuned!” As of right now, that’s all the info we have to go off of. Let’s see where TGA goes with this one.

Waterparks

Album: Intellectual Property (Fueled By Ramen)

Release Date: 4/14

Well, well, well. It seems the Waterparks boys have hit the jackpot. After spending years on indie labels like Equal Vision Records (Armor For Sleep, Gideon, No Devotion) and Hopeless Records, and a brief stint with 300 Entertainment (Gunna, Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug,) the Texan power pop trio have found a new home with major label Fueled By Ramen. They’re celebrating their success with a new record this April titled Intellectual Property. Welcome to the big leagues.

Microwave

Album: TBA (Pure Noise)

Release Date: TBA

While nothing has been confirmed yet, Atlanta rockers Microwave might be cooking something. Last year, the band dropped the grungy “Circling The Drain,” a sound Microwave haven’t tackled yet. Their most current record, 2019’s Death Is A Warm Blanket, delved into the realms of post-hardcore, taking notes from Fear Before The March Of Flames, Nirvana and Heavy Heavy Low Low. Maybe the grunge or post-hardcore stylings will continue on their next outing.

The Killers

Album: TBA (Island)

Release Date: TBA

At this point in their careers The Killers can do whatever they want to do. From the bustling sounds of alt-rock/post-punk on their debut Hot Fuss to the Bruce Springsteen-esque heartland rock stylings of Imploding The Mirage and Pressure Machine, they’ve nearly done it all. When asked by NME if a new album would drop this year, frontman Brendon Flowers said that a “full record will probably be early next year.” It’ll be produced by Shawn Everett (Broken Social Scene, Phantom Planet, Weezer) and Stuart Price (Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Take That.)

City And Colour

Album: The Love Still Held Me Near (Dine Alone/Still)

Release Date: 3/31

“The Love Still Held Me Near was born out of unimaginable loss and he subsequent journey through the grief and heartache that followed,” frontman Dallas Green said about City And Colour’s upcoming seventh record The Love Still Held Me Near. “It’s about digging deep down into yourself and attempting to unearth hope and light in the things that can comfort you through those times. For me that has always been written Gand recording music, so that’s exactly what I did.” Hope you’re ready for what is probably the most emotional City And Colour record to date. 

Hot Mulligan

Album: TBA (Wax Bodega)

Release Date: TBA

The only new material we’ve received from the former Prenatt’s Picks act was Acoustic Vol. 2 and “Drink Milk And Run”. It’s also been three years since they released you’ll be fine, which I put as one of the best albums of 2020. Now in 2023, the only thing the #1 Hot New Band have announced were them opening for The Wonder Years’s The Hum Goes On Forever tour, a European/UK tour with Arm’s Length, attending Sad Summer Festival with Taking Back Sunday, PVRIS, and Motion City Soundtrack, and an appearance at When We Were Young in Las Vegas this October alongside Blink-182, The Academy Is…, and Lit. Yet there’s been no word on a new album. Maybe before Sad Summer or WWWY we’ll get some info on album #3.

Part four will come out next week!

The Most Anticipated Albums Of 2022 (Part Three)

This is part three of four. If you haven’t read part two yet, check it out here.

2021 was the year many musicians showed us the works they created during the 2020 pandemic. And since the pandemic is still (somewhat) raging around the world, it’s giving musicians even more time to perfect their craft. 

In 2022, we’re getting several great albums some several great bands and artists, but out of all the albums that are coming out this year, these are the ones you need to keep your eyes on. Here are the most anticipated albums of 2022, in no particular order.

Kendrick Lamar

Album: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Aftermath/Interscope/PGLang/Top Dawg)

Release Date: 5/13

Holy shit it’s out! Quickly, stop reading and listen to Kendrick Lamar’s fist album since 2017’s DAMN. Last year I put this album on my most anticipated records of 2021 since there was some hope of a new Kendrick album that year. We were wrong. But this year, he did officially confirm that his long-awaited fifth album would be out by 2022. Get stoked and bump this one loud.

Dance Gavin Dance

Album: Jackpot Juicer (Rise)

Release Date: 7/29

Dance Gavin Dance’s upcoming tenth album Jackpot Juicer has a lot of hype surrounding it, but it now holds a special place in fans’ hearts. It is the last studio album to feature longtime bassist Tim Feerick who mysteriously passed away last month. So while you’re rocking out and jamming to these groovy post-hardcore tunes, keep Tim’s memory in your mind while you’re doing so. Rest easy, Count Bassy. We love you.

Flogging Molly

Album: TBA (Rise)

Release Date: TBA

Celtic Punk legends Flogging Molly are scheduled to drop a new album sometime this year. No one knows when it’ll drop, but from what we heard on their latest track “These Times Have Got Me Drinking”, which reminiscences their early sound (think Swagger era), it’s gonna be a blast. Check it out when it drops this year through Rise Records (Dance Gavin Dance, Polyphia, Tiger Army).

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Album: We Do Our Own Stunts (Self-Released)

Release Date: TBA

English dance-punks Does It Offend You, Yeah? haven’t been fully active since 2012, minus a one-off gig in 2015. But to everyone’s surprise, they’re back with a new album coming out sometime this year. It’s not sure yet if this is a short reunion like in 2015 or if they’re fully back permanently, but I’m hoping for the latter.

Joyce Manor

Album: 40 oz. To Fresno (Epitaph)

Release Date: 6/10

In early April, Californian indie punk trio Joyce Manor announced their sixth album called 40 oz. To Fresno. If you love their short, punky songs, you won’t be disappointed with this record. These nine songs are sure to get you through this summer, and the rest of the year. Frontman Barry Johnson said in a press release, “This album makes me think of our early tours, drinking a 40 in the van on a night drive blasting Guided By Voices and smoking cigarettes the whole way to Fresno.” Get it when it drops June 10.

Alexisonfire

Album: Otherness (Dine Alone)

Release Date: 6/24

Finally. After 13 years, we are getting a new Alexisonfire album. The Canadian post-hardcore gods are back. Alexisonfire have been back since 2015 doing shows, but 2019 had the band drop a new song. Fast forward three years and now we’re getting that fifth album. Otherness was self-produced by the band in the span of a week, writing it at the Dine Alone Records clubhouse. “The biggest difference is the space we are all in. We were all really thrilled to make a record, and it was such a respite from what was going on in the world. It felt like life could be beautiful,” guitarist Wade MacNeil told NME. Welcome back, Alexisonfire. We missed you greatly.

Counterparts

Album: TBA (Pure Noise)

Release Date: TBA

While no word yet has come out on Canadian hardcore troupe Counterparts’s next record, we do know that it is done. Theprp.com reported back in January that their seventh album is “done”, with the band saying so on Twitter with “our record is done eat shit u fucking losers.” So far the only thing we’ve heard off this record is a song called “Bound To The Burn” which the band premiered during Four Year Strong’s Christmas show last December. Check the live version (which is the only version as of publishing) below.

Senses Fail

Album: Hell Is In Your Head (Pure Noise)

Release Date: 7/15

So…what happened to those two albums we were promised back in 2021, Senses Fail? Eh, that’s water under the bridge, because Hell Is In Your Head, the post-hardcore group’s eighth album is coming out mid July on Pure Noise Records (The Bouncing Souls, Koyo, Prince Daddy & The Hyena). It will be the band’s first album with new drummer Steve Carey, who replaced Chris Hornbrook in 2018. And so far from what we’ve heard, it’s gonna be a banger.

Pierce The Veil

Album: TBA (Fearless)

Release Date: TBA

Pierce The Veil have been inactive for a long time. The once beloved post-hardcore quartet were riding high, until accusations were made against drummer Mike Fuentes in 2017. It was then in 2020 that the band confirmed that Mike left the group in 2017 and would not be drumming on their next album, whenever that comes out. Better question is, is there a fifth album coming? The answer is yes. Back in October 2021, the band were hitting the studio with Mutemath frontman Paul Meany as producer to work on LP5, which is coming out on PTV’s longtime label Fearless Records (Chase Atlantic, The Pretty Reckless, Windwaker).

Watashi Wa

Album: People Like People (Tooth & Nail)

Release Date: 5/20

Call it a comeback. Underrated Christian pop/rock band Watashi Wa have returned with a brand new record, their first album in 16 years titled People Like You. It will be coming out next week through Tooth & Nail Records (Emery, Off Road Minivan, Slick Shoes). “It was the right time,” frontman/producer Seth Roberts affirmed in a press release. “I felt called to do Watashi Wa again — as if this was what I was supposed to be doing. In the past, it was often difficult. Now, the songs came out easily. When I was writing, it just was Watashi Wa. These days, my perspective on music is similar to the freedom I had when I was younger and first started the band. Things in the world pushed me towards it even more. I thought, ‘Why not just do Watashi Wa again?'” He then stated, “When we broke up, we were in our early twenties, but we’d been together for almost ten years. I was young, immature, and jaded. My ideas were naïve, because I thought I couldn’t do this if I was the only original member. I never thought the first Eager Seas album was a Watashi Wa album even though we put it out under that name. Fast forward, I’m at a different place. My kids are older. I have more life experience. Once I began writing, I asked myself, ‘Why wouldn’t this be a Watashi Wa album?’ All of those old roadblocks in my mind aren’t there anymore. I tried to focus the vision on what Watashi Wa to me. It was always a bigger vision of how we’re all connected. It was based on positivity. This body of work is rooted in faith and optimism.” The album is packed full of collaborations, featuring acts like Relient K, Noise Ratchet, Anberlin, Gasoline Heart, and Dogwood. Get ready for the return of Watashi Wa.

Look out for part four which will come out soon!

Top 10 Albums Of 2019

Well it’s the end of the year. We’ve seen so many good albums come out throughout these past 12 months. Here at Punk Goes Prenatt, we’ll go over some of the finest albums that the year has given us, ranging in genres from emo to hardcore.

Note: before I continue, let me remind you that this list is my opinion. I haven’t listened to every single album that has come out in the past 12 months, no one has. These are just the albums I enjoyed throughout the year. Obviously your opinion will be different than mine. Maybe you think Lizzo should be #1, or Ariana Grande, or even Vampire Weekend. Now that we got that settled, let’s do this.

These are ten of the best albums to come out in 2019.

10. Glitterer – Looking Through The Shades (Anti-)

Clocking in at merely 14 minutes, Looking Through The Shades, the sophomore album by ex-Title Fight member Ned Russin aka Glitterer, is a bizarre masterpiece that feels almost surreal. To quote my own review, “Looking Through The Shades is like a lucid dream fueled by grungy guitars and dreamy synths.” It sounds like nothing Russin has ever made before, further adding onto the mystic feeling of the record. Fueled by paranoia and the desire for some kind of comfort, Glitterer crafts each song to deal with his state of mind, backed up by grunge (“The Race”) or synth-pop (“1001”). Check this one out when you can.

9. Cory Wells – The Way We Are (Pure Noise Records)

This is one hell of a debut. Singer-songwriter Cory Wells creates this rollercoaster of emotions throughout The Way We Are, singing about heartache (“Broken”) one minute and hatred (“Wildfire”) the next. As I said in my review, “The Way We Are is a genuine masterpiece that was worth the four years it took to create. Wells packs in so much emotion into these 12 songs that it’s amazing that he doesn’t run out of steam by the closing track.” Please don’t sleep on Mr. Wells, I put him on this year’s Prenatt’s Picks list for a reason, folks.

8. The Maine – You Are OK (8123)

My sister got me into the Arizonian quintet The Maine back in 2008 when all they had was an EP called The Way We Walk. Over the years, I lost interest in the band and tried my damndest to get back into liking them (Forever Halloween didn’t work for me.) When I heard they were dropping a new record this year, I tried once again to see if I would like it. I was hooked the second I heard “Numb Without You.” The ten tracks that make up You Are OK are their strongest songs to date. The Maine channel in their inner Killers and create a wonderful pop rock album that needs you to listen to it. Something about these songs just hit me hard. To quote The Alternative‘s review, “Every inhale of breath, every scratchy word uttered, every wade of each sentence’s thought, O’Callaghan always has a way of making it feel like it’s The Maine’s world, and we’re just living in it.” I’m glad to be back in The Maine’s world. Thanks, John O.

7. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties – Routine Maintenance (Hopeless Records)

When we last heard from Aaron West, he was dealing with a nasty divorce, coping over a miscarriage, his dad dying, and was going through a horrible year. Now with Routine Maintenance, he’s trying to get better and is going through a journey of self-discovery. He’s smoking again after he quit for his ex-wife Diane (“Lead Paint & Salt Air,”) getting the shit kicked out of him at a bar (“Bloodied Up In A Bar Fight,”) learns that his sister’s husband has passed away from sickness (“God & The Billboards,”) and finalizes his divorce (“Just Sign The Papers”). The storytelling that West aka Dan Campbell, frontman for The Wonder Years, tells has improved, and I cannot wait to hear more about what happens to him next. He’s slowly getting better, and all I want to see if West finally be happy.

6. American Football – American Football (Polyvinyl)

At least we didn’t have to wait 17 years for this album. On their third self-titled album, midwestern emo troupe American Football move away from the iconic house featured on the cover of their previous entries and take big steps towards a new horizon. The opening number “Silhouettes” has these haunting chimes and lovely vibraphone before the band come in and sweep us away. They sound more mature in their lyrics (“I blamed my father in my youth/Now as a father, I blame the booze” from “Uncomfortably Numb”) and playing (the 12-string on “I Can’t Feel You”). LP3 shows the world that they no longer need their infamous house to feel cozy and that they’re ready to explore what Earth has in store for them. Oh, and Hayley Williams from Paramore appears on “Uncomfortably Numb” and she flows extremely well with frontman Mike Kinsella’s vocals. That’s another plus.

5. Somos – Prison On A Hill (Tiny Engines)

With the tragic suicide of guitarist Phil Haggerty back in the summer, Somos did the unthinkable to help their deceased comrade: they dropped their third album Prison On A Hill early for one week only where all proceeds would go towards his funeral expenses. I was lucky enough to help and get the record early, and it’s beautiful. Mixing new wave with emo and pop-punk, the Boston group made one of the best underrated albums of the year. Some highlights off the album are the catchy “Farewell To Exile,” the fine emo track “Iron Heel,” and the dance fueled “Absent And Lost.” Prison On A Hill will always serve as a reminder to the wonderful creativity that Haggerty had with his friends. Rest easy, Phil, we’ll miss you.

4. Say Anything – Oliver Appropriate (Dine Alone Records)

What a swan song. Say Anything’s final album Oliver Appropriate is a concept album following the tragic tale of Oliver (based on frontman Max Bemis), a “washed out” frontman who falls in love with a man and begins to question his sexuality. Sadly, he kills the man after he rejects him and ties his body along with himself to a heavy rock and falls into the water. While some elements do sound phoned in, Oliver Appropriate is an interesting bowing out point for the beloved emo act. As I said in my review, “Oliver Appropriate is an incredibly short masterpiece, blending in the past elements found in every single SA album into one incredible magnum opus.”

3. The Get Up Kids – Problems (Polyvinyl)

This is an emo album for grown-ups. On their first album in eight years, the Kansas City legends create one of the most relatable records of the year for the older kids. Problems has the group dealing with growing up (“Lou Barlow”), fake friends (“Fairweather Friends”), being old (“Brakelines”), uncertainty (“Now Or Never”), and isolation (“Satellite”). Think of this album as the mature version of their classic record Something To Write Home About. Give this one a spin if you already haven’t.

2. PUP – Morbid Stuff (Rise Records/Little Dipper)

The name alone lets you know what you’re gonna be hearing about. On their Rise Records (blessthefall, Make Them Suffer, Social Animals,) Canadian punks PUP go to their dark side and unleash something beautiful. Armed with relatable lyrics and sharp wit, the quartet go hard with their subject matter, singing about depression (“Morbid Stuff,”) suicide (“Kids,”) and plain sadness (“Scorpion Hill”). It’s the band’s finest album to date, and I would love to see how they’ll one-up themselves in two years. To quote myself, “Sing-a-longs catchier than an STD, punk stylings that will get crowds moving, and lyrics that those going through problems can easily cling to. It’s not only a solid album by PUP, but it’s a solid punk album.”

Before we get to number one, let’s look at a few honorable mentions in no particular order.

1. Bring Me The Horizon – amo (Columbia Records)

2. Chris Farren – Born Hot (Polyvinyl)

3. .gif from god – approximation_of_a_human (Prosthetic Records)

4. Heart Attack Man – Fake Blood (Triple Crown Records/You Did This Records)

5. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You (Columbia Records)

6. The Menzingers – Hello Exile (Epitaph Records)

7. Prince Daddy & The Hyena – Cosmic Thrill Seekers (Counter Intuitive Records)

8. ROAM – Smile Wide (Hopeless Records)

9. SeeYouSpaceCowboy – The Correlation Between Entrance And Exit Wounds (Pure Noise Records)

10. Varials – In Darkness (Fearless Records)

1. Knocked Loose – A Different Shade Of Blue (Pure Noise Records)

Was there really any other choice? The answer was obvious the second I played “Belleville” and “…And Still I Wander South.” It was also clear in my review. As I said, “Seriously, if you thought Laugh Tracks went hard, then A Different Shade Of Blue goes harder tenfold.” A Different Shade Of Blue grabs ahold of you quite hard to the point that you think you’ll suffocate. The record hits hard every single time, and the additions of Dying Wish’s Emma Boster on “A Serpent’s Touch” and Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley on “Forget Your Name” make the album even better. This record overall is not just a step forward for the band, but a step forward for hardcore in general. If these guys are the future of hardcore, then the genre has one bright fucking future. Fuck yes.