Prenatt’s Picks: 100 Artists To Check Out In 2020 (Part 8)

Two more weeks.

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.

This is part eight of ten. If you didn’t read the previous list, click here.

Dogleg

Hometown: Detroit, MI

Out Now: Melee (Triple Crown)

For Fans Of: Audio Karate, Heart Attack Man, Title Fight

Known for their wild and fun live shows, Detroit emo heartthrobs Dogleg are quickly making a name for themselves. Dogleg — vocalist/guitarist Alex Stoitsiadis, guitarist Parker Grissom, bassist Chase Macinski, and drummer Jacob Hanlon — got together in 2015 to create music for the sole purpose of “punch-dancing out our rage.” Catchy, fun, and full of energy, Dogleg’s material hits hard and will leave you feeling the the affect way later on. For example, their debut record Melee is a modern emo masterpiece, getting an 8.6 out of 10 from Pitchfork. The band have done tours with Worst Party Ever, Glass Beach, Seaholm, Monika, and Weldam, and played festivals like Bled Fest 2018 (Foxing, Norma Jean, Remo Drive) and the Excellency Music Festival 2019 (Car Crash Rhetoric, Jetty Bones, Rarity.) Oh, and if you beat Macinski at a game of Super Smash Bros. on a Nintendo 64 emulator on their merch table, you can win a free shirt. He hasn’t lost yet, but who knows reader, maybe you will be the person to break his winning streak and get that victory shirt. Wear that shit with pride.

Song to Listen to: “Kawasaki Backflip”

Innerlove.

Hometown: Long Island, NY

Out Now: Fine By Me – EP (Know Hope)

For Fans Of: All Get Out, The Hotelier, Weatherbox

When Long Island collective Table Talk ended in 2019, vocalist/guitarist Ryan O’Rourke and drummer Jon Argondizza wanted to branch into different directions musically. And thus, Innerlove. was born. Recruiting bassist Dan Sandoval and guitarist Joe Rom, the New York emo quartet began writing songs “with the intention of communicating feelings of hopefulness and self perseverance.” And in these trying times, we need songs like that. So far in their short career, they’ve done shows with Laura Stevenson, Vinnie Caruana, The Sidekicks, Worst Party Ever, and the next band on our list. Let’s move onto them now, shall we?

Song to Listen to: “Enough”

twentythreenineteen

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Out Now: XXIIIXIX (Know Hope)

For Fans Of: Death Cab For Cutie, Have Mercy, Jimmy Eat World

Philly’s twentythreenineteen are hard to describe. One second, they’re playing indie tracks, and the next, they dive into emo, pop-punk, and acoustic rock that’s borderline Dashboard Confessional. Named after a reference found in the animated classic Monsters Inc., twentythreenineteen (sometimes written out as XXIIIXIX, which is also the name of their debut album) are one of the most unique sounding bands on the list. Simply put, they’re in a completely different genre on their own, feeling like a Frankenstein’s monster created from acts like The Naked And Famous, Pentimento, and Bright Eyes. No matter what they sound like, there’s a song of theirs that I’m sure you’ll like. XXIIIXIX have done shows with Varials, Sleep In., Rich People, Nonfiction, and the previous band on this list (see above.) So if you like indie music, strange sounding bands, or Monsters Inc., then XXIIIXIX are the band for you.

Song to Listen to: “You”

Mush

Hometown: Chicago, IL and Grand Rapids, MI

Out Now: Thank You, We’re Mush (Skeletal Lightning)

For Fans Of: Dowsing, Pet Symmetry, Saves The Day

The members of pop band Mush are separated by one of the Great Lakes. Hailing from Grand Rapids and Chicago, the five-piece pop band craft some pretty fun, off-kilter jams that will make you reminisce old school Vagrant Records (think The Get Up Kids/Reggie And The Full Effect era.) It’s fun music made by fun guys for fun people. What’s else to say? They’ve performed with Good Brother, Telethon, and Giants Chair, and were at The Fest last year with Against Me!, Jawbreaker, and Less Than Jake. Check out Mush and you’ll have one hell of a fun time.

Song to Listen to: “Shirt”

Roses & Revolutions

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Out Now: i don’t have feelings anymore – Single (Nettwerk)

For Fans Of: Bishop Briggs, K.Flay, VÉRITÉ

It’s not everyday that you can say you discovered an artist from your mom. That’s what happened to me last year when she showed me an acoustic rendition of Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Rochester indie pop natives Roses & Revolutions. Since then my eyes have been glued on the duo. As haunting as they are catchy, R&R have been one of the most underrated indie pop acts in the country. Still, that hasn’t stopped them from touring with big acts like Run River North, K.Flay, VÉRITÉ, Gin Wigmore (who’s married to Jason Aalon Butler of letlive. and FEVER 333,) and Daughtry. And their music has appeared in shows like black-ish, The Village, and Teen Mom OG.

Song to Listen to: “i don’t have feelings anymore”

Fake Names

Hometown: Washington, D.C. and Umeå, Sweden

Out Now: Brick – Single (Epitaph)

For Fans Of: All, Dag Nasty, Naked Raygun

Fake Names is the newest supergroup on the block. Made up of members of Bad Religion, State Of Alert, Girls Against Boys, Holy Fuck (touring drummer,) and Refused, Fake Names play old school punk rock for those who wanna relive the good old days of the ’80s and early ’90s. Led by Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzén, their music sounds like Dischord Records’s entire discography. Their debut record Fake Names comes out May 8 on Epitaph Records (Early Eyes, The Lawrence Arms, Smrtdeath.)

Song to Listen to: “Brick”

The Abruptors

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Out Now: Love And Other Disasters (Asian Man)

For Fans Of: Deal’s Gone Bad, Madness, The Toasters

The first time I ever saw or heard of the ska/soul/reggae/rocksteady septet The Abruptors was at an unlikely place: UBCon. No, they weren’t performing, two members were helping out a vendor sell handmade Pokéballs filled with Pokémon in tiny environments (mine had Pikachu in it.) They formed back in 2015, but their story all began years prior when half of the group left their old band The B-Side Bastards to create more traditional, rocksteady music. The Abruptors have done shows with Mustard Plug, The Aggrolites, Big D And The Kids Table, The Living End, and Mephiskapheles. They were scheduled to perform at Pouzza Fest in Montreal this May, but with COVID-19 running rampant, the festival has been postponed to next May. No word yet if they’re still playing.

Song to Listen to: “With My Luck”

Nudie Mag

Hometown: Pasadena, CA

Out Now: Our Milk (Triple B)

For Fans Of: Drug Church, Pity Sex, Weezer

Cali dream rockers Nudie Mag are doing things they’ve never done before. Well, one of them, technically. Twitching Tongues frontman and God’s Hate guitarist Colin Young trades in his dark, heavy sound for something more upbeat and poppy, think of a mixture of Culture Abuse and Weezer. Stereogum said that “Nudie Mag make sparkling, beyond-catchy power pop; it’s not a reach to say that the songs on [Demo 2019] would’ve fit right at home on the first Rentals album. You might be able to hear a bit of evidence of the band’s hardcore connections in their guitar tones.” Little is known about the band since their formation last year, but what we do know is that their tunes are a good time.

Song to Listen to: “Please Be The One”

Charmer

Hometown: Marquette, MI

Out Now: Ivy (No Sleep)

For Fans Of: Hot Mulligan, Pictures Of Vernon, Somos

Meet “Emo’s Next Cult Act.” Michigan’s Charmer are currently riding high with their sophomore record Ivy, now out on No Sleep Records (Good Sleepy, Middle Distance, Stay Inside.) But that could’ve all changed a couple of years ago when vocalist/guitarst David Daignault thought about leaving. That’s when Modern Baseball changed his mind. “Before we signed with No Sleep I was originally ready to move on from the band and start pursuing other interests but we definitely wanted to record and release all the material we had laying around, we were really proud of the songs,” Daignault told Punk Rock Theory. “I emailed [Modern Baseball guitarist/vocalist] Jake [Ewald] on a whim because their music was a big reason I was inspired to write myself. The No Sleep thing happened and we ended up writing a completely new set of songs, drove 18 hours to Philadelphia and stayed for a week tracking it all. I learned a lot from watching Jake during that time and he helped guide us through the process making it a super relaxed recording experience.” Since then, it’s been the best decision he never made. The band have done shows with Free Throw, Kittyhawk, Hot Mulligan, Dowsing, and Pinegrove. Say hello to the new faces of emo.

Song to Listen to: “VCR 666”

Yours Truly

Hometown: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Out Now: Afterglow – EP (UNFD)

For Fans Of: Eat Your Heart Out, Paramore, Stand Atlantic

Yours Truly have everything they need to become Australia’s next breakthrough act. But don’t take my word for it, take The Noise‘s who claimed these Aussie pop-punkers have “the makings to be the next pop-punk breakout act similar to fellow Australians Stand Atlantic.” Just one listen to their second EP Afterglow and you’ll be hooked. Frontwoman Mikaila Delgado’s voice echoes old school Paramore. They’ve toured with Hellions, Senses Fail, The Faim, State Champs, and Tonight Alive, and attended festivals like Riot Fest 2019 (American Football, The Flaming Lips, Slayer,) Unify Gathering 2019 (Every Time I Die, Pagan, Taking Back Sunday,) and Good Things 2019 (A Day To Remember, Ice Nine Kills, Poppy.) They will be performing at Sad Summer Fest (All Time Low, Destroy Boys, Movements) and Slam Dunk (Basement, Sum 41, We Are The In Crowd) this year, well that is if Sad Summer Fest doesn’t get cancelled due to COVID-19.

Song to Listen to: “I Can’t Feel”

Come back next week for more artists!

Prenatt’s Picks: 50 Artists To Check Out In 2019 (Part 1)

Yes.

It’s that time again! Here at Punk Goes Prenatt, for the next five weeks, we’ll give you 50 artists that you need to tune your attention to throughout 2019. Spanning artists in genres like rap, pop-punk, electronic, post-hardcore, rock, and acoustic, Prenatt’s Picks will show you the finest acts to check out.

Without further delay, let’s start the list!

Small Talks

Hometown: Myrtle Beach, SC

Out Now: A Conversation Between Us (Common Ground)

For Fans Of: Broadside, Paramore, Tonight Alive

Let me say this first: Small Talks are going to blow up in 2019. The pop-punk project created by singer-songwriter Cayley Spivey has been gaining steam with each new day. Spivey first started writing songs in her bedroom and performed at local coffee shops, gaining a fanbase that’s been rapidly growing. Small Talks signed with California based label Common Ground Records in 2017 and has released a few singles, an EP titled Until It Turns To Petals that same year, and dropped their debut album A Conversation Between Us back in February, which was one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Her and her touring band have done shows with Can’t Swim, With Confidence, and FLOODS, and played festivals such as Snowed In, The FEST, and the final Vans Warped Tour. Their Facebook says that “For Cayley, it’s all about connecting with the people around her through music and wanting to give a life long memory for her audience every show. She brings energy and surprises to every show while providing fans with a place to be themselves regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or race.” The band will be touring with shortly later in May.

Song to Listen to: “Oceans”

Capstan

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Out Now: Stars Before The Sun – Single (Fearless)

For Fans Of: Belmont, A Day To Remember, Settle Your Scores

Calling themselves “progressive post-hardcore” and “metal for pop-punk kids”, Capstan are a light/heavy five-piece from sunny Florida who are here to brighten up your day with beatdowns and poppy riffs. Mixing in elements of post-hardcore, easycore, and pop-punk, they keep the heaviness found in post-hardcore and mix it in with the poppy hooks found in bands like New Found Glory and State Champs without abounding their sound. Capstan are one of the most unique groups in the current music scene. They just signed with Fearless Records (I Prevail, Oceans Ate Alaska, Starset) late last year and will be dropping their debut full-length sometime this year. They’ve toured with groups like Silverstein, Eidola, and Belmont, which shows the credibility that they can swing with both heavy-hitters and pop-punkers. Capstan will be hitting the UK this fall with Trash Boat and Doll Skin.

Song to Listen to: “Stars Before The Sun”

grandson

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Out Now: a modern tragedy, vol. 2 – EP (Fueled By Ramen)

For Fans Of: AWOLNATION, Brick + Mortar, Yungblud

America meet your maker. Hailing from the north is this politically fueled singer-songwriter, and he’s here to tell America about its problems one song at a time. The artist signed to Fueled By Ramen (Basement, Dashboard Confessional, ONE OK ROCK) in April 2018 and has released two EPs titled a modern tragedy vol. 1 and vol. 2. grandson has toured with acts like Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers, Joywave, and The Smashing Pumpkins and will be hitting festivals like the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, Slam Dunk, and Welcome To Rockville, which has him performing with acts like Santana,  Kublai Khan, and Papa Roach. He also just appeared on Rock Sound‘s Worship And Tributes II CD covering Rage Against The Machine’s “Maria”. As long as America’s in need of fixing, grandson will be here watching over his grandchildren.

Song to Listen to: “Apologize”

HARD LOSS

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Out Now: In The Grey – Single (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Beartooth, A Day To Remember, State Champs

When vocalist Tyler Kasch left Tear Out The Heart last year, he luckily had a back up band. Insert HARD LOSS, a hockey loving pop-punk band that keeps the heaviness that Kasch had with TOTH. Blending in elements of pop-punk with post-hardcore, HARD LOSS are hear to finally show the world what they’re made of. Their lyrics are personal such as the emotional “No One Fights Alone” and the hard-hitting “In The Grey”. They’ve done shows with Famous Last Words, Real Friends, and Hit The Lights in the St. Louis area. The biggest thing that’s happened to the band was they won a contest by the St. Louis Blues and got to perform their song “The Overtime Anthem (We All Bleed Blue)” to the crowd during a game in 2017. If you’re a fan of hockey, pop-punk, and shedding tears, you’ll love HARD LOSS.

Song to Listen to: “In The Grey”

Just Friends

Hometown: Dublin/Pleasanton, CA

Out Now: Nothing But Love (Pure Noise)

For Fans Of: The Band Apart, The Go! Team, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Like funk? Like punk? Like bands with a shit ton of people in them? Look no further than the Californian nonet Just Friends. If you read my blog, you probably read my review of their latest album Nothing But Love, just re-released by Pure Noise Records (Four Year Strong, Inclination, Youth Fountain). I called the album “a damn good time”, which it is. They’ve toured with Mom Jeans., Prince Daddy & The Hyena, and will be spending the summer touring on the touring festival Sad Summer Fest with The Maine, L.I.F.T, and Forever The Sickest Kids. They’re one of the funkiest bands on this list, so please pay attention to Just Friends.

Song to Listen to: “Supersonic”

KURORAK

Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia

Out Now: XXI (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Camellia, Kobaryo, t+pazolite

Drum & bass, breakbeat, EDM, he does them all. This musical mage is conjuring up spells to get you dancing. “The bigger part my influences come from Japanese rhythm game musics,” KURORAK said. So with Japanese rhythm games being his main influence, it’s no surprise that some of his songs appear in one. He has a track in the rhythm games Cytus II and Dynamix (he won a contest for that one). The mage continued with, “There’s no really specific genre of what I usually do because I make songs of genres I feel like doing: some days it’s Drum n’ Bass, some days it’s electro, some days it’s sampling a bunch of other songs.” He did state that he had big plans for the year but is currently keeping it a secret.

Song to Listen to: “ATHANASY”

Between You & Me

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Out Now: Everything Is Temporary (Hopeless)

For Fans Of: Knuckle Puck, Neck Deep, With Confidence

While they’ve been on Hopeless Records (Bayside, dying in designer, Story Untold) for over two years, the Australian quintet Between You & Me are still heavily unknown. They’ve got a pretty solid sound for a band who is only a few years old, and they’re on a label that signs only the finest pop-punk acts. Clearly they’re doing something right. They’ve toured with some of the scene’s best acts like WSTR, Like Pacific, The Maine, Trash Boat, and As It Is. Just listen to tracks like “Overthinking”, “Twice Shy” and “Dakota” and you’ll get hooked. Between You & Me will be busy this May, touring with Hellions in their native country and will be performing at Slam Dunk with I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, Lights, and Cruel Hand.

Song to Listen to: “Dakota”

Spencer Robinson And The Wolf Spiders

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Out Now: Poisonous Berry – Single

For Fans Of: The Cramps, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Tom Waits

Spencer Robinson is no stranger to the world of music. He’s spent years playing in the legendary LA garage band The Lords Of Altamont, performing with acts like X, The Cramps, and even The Who. Now under his new project, he vows to create material that’s darker and grittier than his past work. Their debut single “Poisonous Berry” came out last October via UK label Komakino Records (Idiot Robot, Jack Winters, Yaperone). Expect  more stuff later this year.

Song to Listen to: “Drink Gasoline, Spit Fire”

Scavengers

Hometown: South Wales, UK

Out Now: Deadlock – Single (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Kids In Glass Houses, My Chemical Romance, Thrice

Over the years Wales has cranked out some pretty incredible bands, giving the world a melting pot of artists from multiple genres like Neck Deep, The Joy Formidable, and Funeral For A Friend. And now another band has emerged from the area, ready to their presence to be known: Scavengers. Created only five months ago, this alt-rock group have been working hard on their craft, getting ready to finally strike. “Our past projects taught us a lot about being in a band; from writing songs, to performing, to how the industry works, etc. but asides that, Scavengers is trying to succeed where perhaps our past exploits failed; we all agree that previously we were too hung up on genres, throwing out tracks because they didn’t tick a certain box,” vocalist Marek Ball said. “I think we’re just a lot more forgiving of ourselves with our writing; we’re not trying to write the deepest lyrics or the hardest drops, we just want to have fun with it all.” The quartet just dropped their newest song “Deadlock” last month. The group will make their debut performance tomorrow with Mantra at Tiny Rebel in Cardiff.

Song to Listen to: “Deadlock”

Lighterburns

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Out Now: The Last Time You’ll Love Me – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Brand New, Like Pacific, Saves The Day

If you went to Warped Tour last year, chances are you probably didn’t see Lighterburns. However, if you did see this San Diego based pop-rock trio, you saw one of the most underrated acts on the whole tour. Formed in 2016 as a duo, the band have been mostly gigging throughout the San Diego area, doing shows with Family Thief, Wanted Noise, and Farewell Winters. They spent the past couple summers on the Vans Warped Tour, rocking out throughout the summer. Their latest EP The Last Time You’ll Love Me reminisces of early 2000s pop-punk acts like Fall Out Boy and Saves The Day. The trio will be releasing a new single soon.

Song to Listen to: “McGuffin”

Come back next week for more artists!