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!

20 More Of The Weirdest Covers Ever Recorded (Part One)

Yeah we’re doing this again.

Last year, I wrote a two–part article called “The 20 Weirdest Covers Ever Recorded.” When I wrote that, I did a lot of research trying to find the strangest covers you’ve (probably) never heard, such as singer/songwriter Adam French covering Millencolin’s “No Cigar,” Tori Amos’s haunting rendition of the Slayer classic “Raining Blood,” and Our Last Night butchering “Who Let The Dogs Out?” by Baha Men with help from the Baha Men.

However, as time went on, I found some more weird covers and felt that I had to make another one. And so, here it is, twenty more bizarre covers that were recorded.

As I mentioned in my previous articles, “I have to inform you that the songs on this list are covers that were recorded for a compilation, an album, or as a single. There will be no live covers on this list.” That is if I ever choose to do an article about the strangest live covers I’ve ever heard or seen.

With that out of the way, let’s begin part one.

1. Waterparks – Beating Heart Baby (Originally by Head Automatica)

Earlier this year, British magazine Rocksound released their 250th issue, and to celebrate, they made a second Worship And Tributes album. The first one dropped in 2015 to celebrate their 200th issue. On their second Worship And Tributes album, bands like Memphis May Fire, grandson, Real Friends, WSTR, and Set It Off, covered songs from groups like The All-American Rejects, Blink-182, Slipknot, twenty one pilots, and Jimmy Eat World. However, the cover that takes the cake is Waterparks’s rendition of Head Automatica’s “Beating Heart Baby.” The trio strip down the song’s pop-rock style to the bones and build up on it, adding in quiet drums, some keyboards, and the occasional riff from Awsten Knight. It’s like an elevator remix of the song. Weird, catchy, and unique, the Texan pop-rock trio make this track their own in all the best ways.

2. Rise Against – Any Way You Want It (Originally by Journey)

Rise Against are known for writing songs about social commentary, animal rights, and political corruption. So it felt bizarre that the group would cover the classic Journey song “Any Way You Want It” on their successful sophomore album Revolutions per Minute. The final track on the album feels so out of place and hilarious, feeling like a karaoke version sung by Tim McIlrath. But there’s a reason why they did this. “We were a new band still and being a new band when we’d go out and play shows, we would tend to throw a cover song into our set so people would recognize something,” McIlrath said in an interview with Ultimate Guitar. He continued, “We found that people either weren’t recognizing the song or weren’t singing along and didn’t know the song. Kids were wearing Black Flag t-shirts but didn’t know the Black Flag songs. We found it was super disappointing and people weren’t understanding this. We were like, ‘Fans, we might just as well go out there and cover a Journey song because you all know it.’ The joke went too far.” So simply put, Rise Against covered a Journey song out of sheer irony. Haha.

3. Mastodon – A Commotion (Originally by Feist)

On Record Store Day 2012, the metal band Mastodon and Canadian indie pop artist Feist released a split 7″ called Feistodon. Each artist covered each other, with Feist covering Mastodon’s “Black Tongue” and Mastodon covering Feist’s “A Commotion.” With their rendition of ” A Commotion,” the band get rid of any of the indie pop elements found in the original and kick it into overdrive with a heavy metal remix. It goes hard while still keeping the spirit of the original. In my opinion, their cover’s the better song.

4. Mimic A Stranger – Jamie All Over (Originally by Mayday Parade)

Ah 2009. Shudder shades, neon clothing, and brokeNCYDE were all the rage back then. Dear God that shit was cringy. But do you know what’s the epitome of late 2000s cringe? This. Just listen to it. Screams, synths, a shit ton of autotune reign supreme on this audible mess. Because yes, Mayday Parade’s classic “Jamie All Over” needed a discount Breathe Carolina retouch. Let’s just be glad this genre is dead.

5. Steve ‘n’ Seagulls – Thunderstruck (Originally by AC/DC)

For those about bluegrass, we salute you. Finnish group Steve ‘n’ Seagulls have been turning classic rock songs into bluegrass tracks since 2011, covering bands like Iron Maiden, The Offspring, Metallica, Pantera, and Led Zeppelin. On their debut album Farm Machine, they did an incredible rendition of the AC/DC classic “Thunderstruck” and holy hell is it a thing of beauty. Banjos shredding, spoons rattling, and a legit anvil can be heard on this. It’s the craziest thing you’ll hear all day.

6. D At Sea – Carrion (Originally by Parkway Drive)

Whatever happened to D At Sea? The singer/songwriter was well-known for doing acoustic renditions of metalcore songs and making them sound so beautiful. He’s done Thy Art Is Murder, Bring Me The Horizon, The Amity Affliction, Of Mice & Men, and Bastille (yes they’re not metalcore but he covered them.) Strangely enough, this track works incredibly well as an acoustic song. All the heaviness is taken away and is replaced by Doyle Perez’s soothing voice. Try banging your head to this.

7.  Born Of Osiris – Seven Devils (Originally by Florence + The Machine)

Ok, who the fuck at Sumerian Records (Asking Alexandria, Oceano, Stray From The Path) decided, “Let’s make a tribute album for Florence + The Machine and do it with metalcore bands”? Welp, that’s what they did in 2014 with Sumerian Ceremonials: Florence + the Sphinx – A Tribute To Florence + The Machine. Bands like Periphery, Darkest Hour, Upon A Burning Body, Stick To Your Guns, and Fever Dreamer (remember them?), took a crack at songs sung by the Florence Welch. The whole album is filled with hits and misses, but good lord is Born Of Osiris’s heavy rendition of “Seven Devils” crazy. If you showed this song to someone and said that this is actually a Florence + The Machine song they’d think you were crazy. Thank God Sumerian hasn’t done more tributes like this.

8. Outline In Color – It’s Gonna Be Me (Originally by *NSYNC)

“It’s Gonna Be Me” by *NSYNC still slaps hard as it did back in 2000. Well for some reason, post-hardcore band Outline In Color decided to cover this gem on their album Jury Of Wolves. The odd this is it does start off good, but by the second verse it immediately goes to shit with the screams and that laughable slow breakdown just ruins the whole tempo of the song. Listen, not everything needs a breakdown, fellas. Oh, and please don’t harmonize cleans and screams on the final chorus. It sounds fuckin awful. What more can I say except that this was a mistake.

9. Madonna – American Pie (Originally by Don McLean)

Oh Madonna, why’d you have to cover this? For her movie The Next Best Thing, she turned the beloved folk song “American Pie” into a godawful dance-pop track all thanks to co-star Rupert Everett. It’s shorter than its counterpart but it cannot hold a candle next to the beauty of Don McLean’s song. Wanna know the worst part? McLean praised the cover and said that it was “mystical and sensual.” Oh, and this was a worldwide hit, charting #1 in many countries. This truly means that God has abandoned us.

10. Adventure Club x Modern Machines feat. Saint Slumber – MakeDamnSure (by Taking Back Sunday) 

Who the hell asked for this? No one asked for an EDM version of Taking Back Sunday’s popular song “MakeDamnSure” that’s for damn sure. Anyway, EDM acts Adventure Club and Modern Machines teamed up with the band Saint Slumber to cover(?) TBS’s hit song and give it a club vibe. Shockingly, it sounds pretty good. As EDM.com put it, “Taking Back Sunday vocalist Adam Lazzara’s high-pitched vocal is taken down an octave in the Adventure Club x Modern Machines version. The former duo’s melodic brand of bass music shines through most notably in the arrangement, with bright synth work punctuating the drop in all its grandeur.” This cover shouldn’t be shocking if you’re a fan of the Canadian duo. Adventure Club have done remixes for Thrice, Alexisonfire, and Brand New, and have collaborated with Craig Owens (ex-Chiodos, badXchannels) on an upcoming track with QUIX.

Part two will be posted later.

Maroon 5 Finally Confirmed To Play The Super Bowl, Will Be Joined By Two Rappers

Looks like Variety was right.

The NFL finally confirmed on Sunday that Maroon 5 will headline Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Ga. The pop group will take the center stage during the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show on February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Maroon 5 celebrated the news by posting a video on their Instagram.

Joining Maroon 5 will be rapper Travis Scott and Atlantan rapper Big Boi who is one half of rap duo OutKast. Artists like P!nk, Rihanna, and Cardi B were scheduled to appear alongside the pop band, but dropped out in support of ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (P!nk dropped out when negotiations between her and the NFL fell through). According to Billboard, Scott only agreed to play if the NFL did something for him. “Scott required the NFL to make a joint donation to an organization fighting for social justice in order for him to move forward with the event,” a source close to Billboard said.

Performers at past halftime shows include Justin Timberlake, Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, U2, No Doubt, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, The Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay.

Drug Church’s “Cheer” Is The Album That We Needed In Our Lives

Drug Church are a fascinating band that never really get the respect or attention they deserve. The Albany, N.Y., group have been toiling around for years, playing a wonderful mixture of grunge and hardcore punk (think of Soundgarden meets Black Flag). But the thing is, no one cares to listen. They’d rather continue to listen to their Touché Amorés or their PUPs and avoid the awesomeness of these fine New York grunge punks. Their loss, they’re missing out on not only the band’s finest album ever, but the finest album to come out in 2018.

Cheer is an album that is filled to the brim with relatable lyrics that anyone can decipher. You don’t need to be a music critic to figure them out. If you’re going through a rough patch in your life, depression, living in that weird point of life that is between adulthood and childhood, or that you’re life is at a standstill, then you will 100% find the ten songs off of Cheer to be for you.

The band’s sardonic approach on things that are of social concern shines brightly on this album, and vocalist Patrick Kindlon’s songwriting feels like modern day poetry. Just listen to any song off of Cheer and you will probably say to yourself, “Damn Patrick, I feel the same way.”

The album starts off with the short-yet-sweet song “Grubby”, a tale about how hard it is to adult when you still feel like a kid. It’s a relatable song for those who don’t know what to do with their adult lives after being a child and youthful for so long. “It’s hard to form adult connections/ When you sleep on turtle bedspreads/ I can fake my way through a date/ But I (can’t hide how child I am),” Kindlon belts out during the track. If you feel the same way Kindlon feels, he’s here for you, and this song is your new anthem.

But the relatable content doesn’t slow down. No, it just keeps on increasing like a tiny snowball that’s rolling down a mountain, picking up more snow and becoming a massive ball of ice crystals.

The best songs on the album have to be the most heavily connectable ones. “Avoidarama” is the perfect song for anyone who is dealing with depression and longing to stay alone as to not be a bother to anyone they care for. Not only does it deal with depression, but it talks about the mental issues we have that are winning and taking over our states of mind. “Unlicensed Guidance Counselor” features the touching lyrics “If you live long enough/ You’ll do something wrong enough/ That you feel shame enough/ To say enough’s enough”. “Weed Pin” deals with screwing up at work so badly that you get fired, and anyone who is working at a shitty job can scream “Fuck you at $12.50 an hour/ I should’ve started a chemical fire/ I should’ve burned this fucking place to the ground”. And “Foam Pit” paints the picture that we are trying to appear perfect for a job, but when it comes down to it, we’re really only there for the cash. We’re not climbing up the ladder for success, we are the ones holding it so that others can climb it. 

Some songs on Cheer can relate to other people like the depression song “Avoidarama” and the track about sucking at work called “Weed Pin”, but others can only relate to Kindlon himself. For example, the songs “Conflict Minded”, in which the title gives away what the song is about, and “Strong References”, a song about his brief modeling career. In “Strong References”, he sings about modeling in the buff and that he did it solely “for the money”. He belts out, See, I told you so/ Just admit it/ You are the next big thing/ This shoot is pure gold”. Hell, he compares himself to Madonna’s ex-boyfriend Tony Ward, a successful model. And on “Conflict Minded”, he sings about how he is “just a magnet for negativity” and that he catches “most people only on their worst days”.

The energy found on this album ranges between rough or fast (“Grubby”, “Dollar Story”, “Conflict Minded”) to soft or slow (“Foam Pit”, “Avoidarama”, “Unlicensed Guidance Counselor”). Even the strangest additions like the acoustic guitar on “Dollar Story” to Husbandry’s Carina Zachary’s soft and pleasing vocals on “Conflict Minded” (she perfectly balances Drug Church’s rough style) flow so well on Cheer.

On their third full-length album and first with new label Pure Noise Records (Boston Manor, Less Than Jake, Sanction), Drug Church go beyond their limits and create an album a whole generation can connect to spiritually and mentally. It’s an album for those who are lost in life and are just struggling with either personal demons, depression, or that damn bump in the road. Cheer isn’t just another hardcore punk record, it’s a record that makes you think. You could probably write a thesis paper about this record if you wanted to.

Overall, Cheer is the band’s finest creation to date, hitting topics that easily grab the listeners’ attention. It’s not just an album, it’s an experience, and it truly is an experience that you need to have.