’68 Signs With Pure Noise Records

Atlanta-based rock ‘n’ roll duo ’68 have signed a deal with Pure Noise Records (Koyo, The Pink Spiders, Year Of The Knife).

The band consisting of former Norma Jean/The Chariot frontman Josh Scogin and drummer Nikko Yamada announced the news Wednesday evening. In a statement published by the Californian label, they write, “Pure Noise Records signs ‘68 …A rowdy rock duo that sounds like a couple of hot rods burning down a riff factory.”

A new song was also released around the same time. The single “The Captains Sat” is a high energy rock tune that will get you off your feet. Check out the music video below.

’68 formed shortly after the final show of Scogin’s previous band The Chariot in November 2013. Their first EP Midnight was self-released that December and re-released through No Sleep Records (Gatherers, saturdays at your place, Worst Party Ever) with new artwork. In Humor And Sadness, ’68’s debut, came out in 2014 via eOne Music/Good Fight Music (Boys Night Out, Eighteen Visions, See You Next Tuesday). Their last two full-lengths were released through Cooking Vinyl (BABYMETAL, Fickle Friends, Reverend And The Makers). The band have toured with numerous bands and acts, such as Every Time I Die, Korn, Chiodos, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Avatar, and various dates of the 2015 Vans Warped Tour on the Monster Energy Stage alongside Being As An Ocean, Mallory Knox, and Our Last Night.

Balance And Composure Are Back!

What a pleasant surprise.

On Tuesday, the alt-rock/emo world was startled by the shocking return of Balance And Composure. The Doylestown, Pa., quintet announced their comeback with two new songs released in a collection called Too Quick To Forget via Memory Music (Flycatcher, The Starting Line, Webbed Wing). Too Quick To Forget was produced by Will Yip (The Bouncing Souls, Kaleigh Goldsworthy, Turnover). Listen to the new songs below.

Not only are we getting new music from BAC, we’re also getting some shows. Four shows across the United States will take place this spring and summer. Check out the tour dates below.

6/16 Philadelphia, Pa. – Union Transfer*^$
6/23 Los Angeles, Calif. – The Novo%⛧
6/24 Pomona, Calif. – The Glasshouse%⛧
7/8 Queens, N.Y. – Knockdown Center†@

* = Webbed Wing
^ = Fleshwater
$ = Grist Mil
% = Seahaven
⛧ = Death Bells
† = Choir Boy
@ = Toledo

BAC formed back in 2007 after the breakup of two Doylestown bands. The group would sign with No Sleep Records (Kerosene Heights, saturdays at your place, Unturned) two years later, releasing 2011’s Separation and 2013’s The Things We Think We’re Missing. In 2016, they would ink a deal with legendary emo label Vagrant Records (Blitzen Trapper, The Get Up Kids, Saves The Day), dropping their latest full-length Light We Made. They played their final shows in 2019.

Top 10 Albums Of 2020

Congrats, you survived 2020.

While we can talk about how bad last year was, let’s talk about one of the few positives that occurred: sweet albums. Throughout the past 12 months, several bands and artists dropped some stellar pieces of music, and today we will look at 10 of those records, as well as some honorable mentions.

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.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the best albums 2020 gifted us.

10. Enter Shikari – Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible (SO)

It’s been a long time since I listened to an Enter Shikari record. 2017’s The Spark showed the band swapping their electronic post-hardcore sound for something alt-rock sounding, and they carry that same sound into Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible. While I disliked the change on The Spark, Nothing Is True was able to capture my attention throughout the 44 minute record by adding in some of their old post-hardcore tones. Tracks like “THE GREAT UNKNOWN”, “T.I.N.A.”, “Crossing The Rubicon”, “{ The Dreamer’s Hotel }”, and “thē kĭñg” are some of their finest songs to date. Glad to be a fan again.

9. Four Year Strong – Brain Pain (Pure Noise)

Holy shit this was so worth the five year wait. Worcester’s finest have returned with another heavy-hitter. On their fifth album Brain Pain, Four Year Strong have shown that if something isn’t broken, don’t bother fixing it. With heavy breakdowns worth breaking a bone to in the pit (“Brain Pain”), to pop-punk fueled jams (“Talking Myself In Circles”), Brain Pain is the band’s best album to date. I cannot wait to sing these songs live with a crowd.

8. Taylor Swift – folklore (Republic)

Yeah, I’m shocked too. I put T-Swift on a best albums list. But my God is folklore beautiful. Ditching her pop persona for something more folky, Taylor channels in her inner singer-songwriter, making a record (scratch that, two records) that has her dwelling into alt-folk and chamber pop. And she pulls it off so damn well! Album opener “the 1” is a major departure from 2019’s Lover, and every single song blows you away, like the Grammy nominated “cardigan” and the kick ass “the last great american dynasty”. Color me impressed, Taylor.

7. Dogleg – Melee (Triple Crown)

Meet the new faces of emo. Michigans’s Dogleg have proven themselves on their debut record Melee that they are worth checking out. “Kawasaki Backflip” viciously grabs you and doesn’t give you time to breathe as the rest of the record takes you on one hell of a ride. Frontman Alex Stoitsiadis is an excellent songwriter and every song on the record shows how well he is at it. As Pitchfork put it, “It’s a record that’s as melodic as it is physical, where pent-up aggression turns into physical liberation.” Don’t sleep on Dogleg, there’s a reason I put them on last year’s Prenatt’s Picks list.

6. Hot Mulligan – you’ll be fine (No Sleep)

To quote Pitchfork again, “Hot Mulligan are on that emo bullshit.” The Michigan emo act have grown so much since their debut Pilot back in 2018, but they still have some time to grow. While it’s not a solid record like Dogleg’s Melee, it is a fun record, with songs about cars, faded pictures, and not fucking up. It’s their finest album to date, and I can’t wait for what they have in store next. Shoutout to Hot Mulligan Tadesposting.

5. Dance Gavin Dance – Afterburner (Rise)

2020 was supposed to be Dance Gavin Dance’s year. With several festivals lined up and a tour with Bilmuri already being advertised, COVID-19 had to kill all of that. So the legendary post-hardcore act did a livestream show (with a second one in December for Tree City Sessions 2). And on those livestreams, we heard some songs off of their ninth studio album Afterburner. And wow, Afterburner is one of DGD’s most unique records to date. Mixing in elements of pop, Latin, funk, and rap, DGD created something that Kill Your Stereo put as “intricate, catchy, emotional and deceptively complex.” Plus, hearing Tilian Pearson scream again gives me Tides Of Man flashbacks (see “Lyrics Lie” and “Prisoner”). And don’t get me started on “Calentamiento Global”. Multiples stab wounds, yeah!

4. Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters (Epic)

The queen is back. Fiona Apple has never made a dull record, and once again she shines on her first album in eight years Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Released early during the pandemic, many critics found that the record’s message of confinement to be timely. Critics also called this her finest album to date. Fetch The Bolt Cutters has appeared on so many albums of the year lists, with places like Good Morning America, The New York Times, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, and Stereogum putting it at #1. Seriously, just give this album a listen to and you’ll see why everyone loves it.

3. ♥ GOJII ♥ – ALL MY HEART (HyperPop)

If you told me years ago that I would put an electronic album on a best albums of the year list, I would’ve laughed. That was until a friend who used to be in the furry fandom introduced me to the world of ♥ GOJII ♥. The Floridian agendered musican crafts what can only be summed up as magic on their glorious return to the HyperPop record label. The 37 minute album is simply star stunning, throwing you into a world of bright colors and flashing lights. Songs like “CRUSH”, “SPELLBOUND”, “U HURT ME”, “GOODBYE” and “DISTANCE” are beautiful, and “DISTANCE” still somehow gets me misty eyed. ♥ GOJII ♥, if you’re reading this, never give up on music. You’re beyond talented and I’d kill to see you in concert.

2. Jeff Rosenstock – NO DREAM (Polyvinyl) 

Jeff, oh Jeff. You’re just full of surprises. On his fourth solo record (his second one released without any warning or press coverage), the former Bomb The Music Industry!/Craig Of The Creek composer creates a masterpiece that’s both fun and witty, “being packed to the brim but being so simple,” as Exclaim! puts it. “Scram!”, “The Beauty Of Breathing”, and my personal favorite “Monday At The Beach” are some of his best solo songs to date. Oh, and he dropped 2020 DUMP just recently, so check that one out, too.

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

1. The Used – Heartwork (Big Noise)
2. Into It. Over It. – Figure (Triple Crown)
3. Run The Jewels – RTJ4 (Jewel Runners)
4. Cro-Mags – In The Beginning (Mission Two)
5. Machine Gun Kelly – Tickets To My Downfall (Bad Boy/Interscope)
6. Broadway Calls – Sad In The City (Red Scare)
7. Hum – Inlet (Polyvinyl)
8. Silverstein – A Beautiful Place To Drown (UNFD)
9. The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You (Modular)
10. Mundy’s Bay – Lonesome Valley (Pure Noise)

1. Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces Everyone (Pure Noise)

The fact that Luke Spencer, better known online as Rocked and I both put this record at #1 is incredible, and we both share the same reasons as to why. Released shortly before COVID-19 started running rampant in the states, before we started quarantining and wearing masks outside, L.A. punk rockers Spanish Love Songs dropped Brave Faces Everyone, and album that was already being hyped up by fans as incredible. But as time went on during the pandemic, the meaning of the record changed and every single song started hitting differently. Spencer put it quite bluntly in his video, saying, “I can’t stress enough that Brave Faces Everyone is the defining anthem of 2020 from front to back.” No album this year has hit me as hard as Brave Faces Everyone, and I can’t recall how many times I’ve cried screaming out the lyrics to “Losers”. Vocalist/guitarist Dylan Slocum is this generation’s Bruce Springsteen. His ability to turn his experiences into beautiful, emotional charged hits is goddamn incredible. A songwriter like this comes only once in a lifetime, and Slocum is a goddamn poet who deserves your respect. To quote myself, “Brave Faces Everyone is an album that we can expect from SLS, but it’s a fine one at best. The ten tracks on it are packed with lyrics that will relate to any Millennial, and it’s got the punk rock tendencies to get your sad ass moving on the floor.” Get this fucking album right the fuck now.

Prenatt’s Picks: 100 Artists To Check Out In 2020 (Part 9)

Yeah yeah, it’s been some time. A thousand apologies. Got distracted with life, the fear of COVID-19, and Animal Crossing. But we got one more left after this!

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 nine of ten. If you didn’t read the previous list, click here.

Bilmuri

Hometown: Columbus, OH

Out Now: Muri And Friends (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Belmont, I The Mighty, Royal Coda

In the late 2000s, Johnny Franck and his band Attack Attack! made waves across the scene with their beloved debut album Someday Came Suddenly and their self-titled record in 2010. He then left the group that same year to focus on his relationship with God. And all that time with God caused him to create Bilmuri (yes, based on the actor’s name,) a funky post-hardcore band that will make you head bang while twerking. Soft yet funky, Bilmuri allows Franck to soar higher than ever before. He’s worked with acts and artists like No Dice, Tilian of Dance Gavin Dance (he would later appear on DGD’s new album Afterburner,) Surf Team, Dayseeker, and former Attack Attack! and current Beartooth frontman Caleb Shomo (the feature is killer.) So if you like funky rhythms and shitposting, Bilmuri’s for you.

Song to Listen to: “BRUH.MP4”

DREGG

Hometown: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Out Now: Tu Track – Single (Epitaph)

For Fans Of: Hatebreed, Limp Bizkit, System Of A Down

“Imagine Eminem, fronting Mr. Bungle, while sipping absinthe, after an Oscar Wilde binge. Or Hatebreed, covering the Wu-Tang Clan, inside an art installation, curated by Andy Warhol’s ghost.” Just reading that gives you a clear look on what hardcore act DREGG are. The Australian fivesome have the swagger of a rapper, colorful clothes, and disturbing tones. As the band put it, “Privacy is becoming very rare in this modern world, and that drives people to hide who they really are. Each band member’s on-stage persona is an extension of their inner selves—the person the outside world doesn’t allow them to be.” Well that explains the masks and warpaint. They’ve done shows with Alpha Wolf, Hellions, Counterparts, Deez Nuts, and Knocked Loose. DREGG recently signed with American punk label Epitaph Records (The All-American Rejects, Fake Names, Smrtdeath) and dropped a two-track single titled Tu Track back in late April.

Song to Listen to: “HECTIC”

Lilac Queen

Hometown: Wakefield, MA

Out Now: If Only – EP (No Sleep)

For Fans Of: My Bloody Valentine, Swirlies, Title Fight

Named after a song by mewithoutYou, Massachusetts post-shoegaze quintet Lilac Queen might become the next big thing in the genre. Formed in late 2019, Lilac Queen —vocalist/guitarist Lily St. Germain, guitarist/vocalist Doug DeMars, lead guitarist Colin McGovern, bassist Billy Davis and drummer Jesse Porter — are slowly moving up in the music world, having signed to No Sleep Records (Best Ex, Gatherers, Worst Party Ever) in April. As Thisfunktional put it, Lilac Queen’s “wall-of-sound rhythm section juxtaposed with writhing guitar leadwork creates an atmospheric onslaught that does not beg but demands the listener’s attention.” They’ll be performing at The Fest in Gainesville, Fla., later this year alongside Hot Water Music, Broadway Calls, and current Prenatt’s Picks list band Mush.

Song to Listen to: “Ouch”

Wristmeetrazor

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Out Now: Take Your Shot, Funboy – Single (Prosthetic)

For Fans Of: Ostraca, Portrayal Of Guilt, SeeYouSpaceCowboy

With a name like that they have to be heavy as fuck. D.C.’s Wristmeetrazor (named after the Usurp Synapse song) first began as a solo project for guitarist Jonah Thorne until he found bassist Justin Fornof and drummer Zach Wilbourn (who was replaced by SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s drummer Bryan Prosser in 2018) and added them in. The lineup soon became a quartet with the inclusion of second guitarist Tyler Norris a year later. As the group put it in their own words, “Bore of our own necessity. Wristmeetrazor exists as a monument to the space between sanity and self-destruction. Happiness. Sadness. Life. Death.” They’ve done shows with Terror, Dying Wish, Lowered A.D., Sharptooth, and Exit Strategy. Because of COVID-19, their tour with Trench and Stepping Stone will not be taking place. Support them and buy some merch.

Song to Listen to: “Loathsome”

I Met A Yeti

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Out Now: Camp Yeti – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Hail The Sun, A Lot Like Birds, Sianvar

Cool name. Orlando based swancore/post-hardcore quintet I Met A Yeti are as fun as their name sounds. And just like a yeti, they’re mysterious and way beyond powerful. They’re one of the most underrated groups in the swancore genre, and that’s a damn shame. Since we’re all under quarantine, check them out. The band have done shows with Strawberry Girls, Tiny Moving Parts, Eidola, I Set My Friends On Fire, and Being As An Ocean. They just wrapped up a tour in March, minus cancelling the final date due to corona.

Song to Listen to: “Blue-Eyes White Yeti”

Manuel The Band

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

Out Now: Room For Complication – EP (Monte Bre)

For Fans Of: Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Train

Hailing from Frank Ocean and Snoop Dogg’s hometown, rock-jazz-Americana group Manuel The Band are making waves in their corner of the country. The band started releasing music in 2018, and it’s been nothing but good vibes for the sextet. So far, they’ve played at the Music Tastes Good festival with New Order, Santigold, and Princess Nokia, dropped one EP and a new song written during quarantine, and were nominated for Best Album at the Independent Music Awards. Seems like it’s finally time for these West Coast boys to take flight and travel the country.

Song to Listen to: “Casual Love”

SadGirl

Hometown: Los Angeles CA

Out Now: Water (Suicide Squeeze)

For Fans Of: The Buttertones, Froth, Surf Curse

Inspired by rock ‘n’ roll from the ’50s and ’60s swing, LA’s surf punks SadGirl have a sound like no other. Their music sounds like the love child of David Bowie and Buddy Holly, which is odd since they first started off doing Nirvana and Sublime covers. Frontman Misha Lindes later shifted that grungy sound to the early rock music he grew up listening to. “For some reason, I always have had some fantasy about what my dad’s childhood was like growing up in early 60s America: big cars, guitar music, and The Beatles on the radio,” Misha told Vice back in 2016, stating that the Crybaby soundtrack “really changed my musical perspective in some way, too.” SadGirl have done shows with The Garden, Chicano Batman, and SWMRS.

Song to Listen to: “Chlorine”

Casa Loma

Hometown: Williamstown, NJ

Out Now: This Is Coping – EP (Pure Noise)

For Fans Of: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Foxwarren, Nada Surf

Nik Bruzzese is no stranger to the music scene. He’s the frontman for one of the most beloved and influential pop punk bands of the past decade: Man Overboard. But with his solo project Casa Loma, Bruzzese steps into a new, softer, heavily emotional sound, reminiscing of Andy Shauf and Leif Vollebekk (well, Man Overboard had emotional songs, but Casa Loma goes harder than that.) When Transit/Cold Collective member Tim Landers passed away in early 2019, Bruzzese took the news hard. Going into recluse, he created the songs that would make up his debut EP This Is Coping, coming out June 5 on Pure Noise Records (The Amity Affliction, LURK, Same Side.) As a press release points out, “Despite the gravity of the subject matter, Nik is quick to point out that Casa Loma isn’t all doom and gloom. A hopeful optimism permeates the contemplative compositions, with a reassurance to keep going.”

Song to Listen to: “Famaglia”

Bamily

Hometown: London, UK

Out Now: Family With A B – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Friendly Fires, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club

Welcome to the Bamily. English indie darlings Bamily are all about that Bamily life, pun totally intended. Combining indie pop with the powers of EDM, disco, hip-hop, and soul, these lads are in a league of their own. They even DJ during their sets. As SubmitHub puts it, “Opening a world of sample heavy beats over luscious pad sounds and percussion, the band reimagine traditional pop song structures passing melodies between their two lead singers and a hefty backing vocal.” Currently they have over 90.8k monthly listeners on Spotify. Oh, and their cover of Tyler, The Creator’s “EARFQUAKE” slaps hard.

Song to Listen to: “Outro”

Dead Lakes

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Out Now: New Language – EP (SharpTone)

For Fans Of: Awaken I Am, Bring Me The Horizon, PVRIS

Formed in 2017, Seattle’s Dead Lakes blend the worlds of pop and screamo perfectly together. Their label SharpTone Records (Broadside, Kingdom Of Giants, The Wise Man’s Fear) says, “Dead Lakes make music for anyone who feels the sting of broken connections, failed relationships, and challenging circumstances, yet nevertheless will muster the strength and hope to carry onward.” They just might become the new Sleeping With Sirens. Definitely keep these guys on your radar.

Song to Listen to: “SMS Happiness”

Come back next week for the final artists of 2020!