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”
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♥ 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!
Punk Goes Prenatt 