Prenatt’s Picks: 100 Artists To Check Out In 2020 (Part 2)

Round two, folks.

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

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let the madness begin!

Stargazers Paradise

Hometown: Virginia/Temecula, CA/Clarksville, TN/Southern California

Out Now: Slut Boi Lyfe – Single (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Brojob, Eskimo Callboy, Upon A Burning Body

Yes, this is a real band. Lewd metalcore band Stargazers Paradise formed in 2019 when vocalist S3v3n, guitarist Zenith, bassist Jesse, and ex-drummer Djohn (replaced by new drummer Sulo) decided to get together to make music based on something they all love: sex. Fueled by their burning desires, the boys are ready to throw down while getting down. The band said that while their lyrics are mostly comical, they take themselves seriously as musicians, wanting to play shows with other bands instead of just the usual furry convention (not like there’s anything wrong with that.) New material should be coming out soon.

Song to Listen to: “Slut Boi Lyfe”

Frail Body

Hometown: Rockford, IL

Out Now: A Brief Memoriam (Deathwish Inc.)

For Fans Of: Envy, Frail Hands, State Faults

There is nothing frail about Frail Body, the screamo trio hailing from the Midwest. The only thing frail will be your body once you listen to their heavy-hitting Deathwish Inc. (Deafheaven, Gouge Away, Planes Mistaken For Stars) debut A Brief Memoriam. Frail Body are keeping the spirit of classic “screamo” alive, fueled by bands like Pg. 99 and Saetia. They’ve done shows with Ghost Key, meth., Remo Drive, Wristmeetrazor, and For Your Health. The trio even got a shout out by Tom Schlatter, vocalist/guitarist for the legendary screamo act You And I, in an interview with BrooklynVegan. Their next show is Saturday, February 29, at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI, with Dead To Fall.

Song to Listen to: “Your Death Makes Me Wish Heaven Was Real”

Une Misère

Hometown: Reykjavík, Iceland

Out Now: Sermon (Nuclear Blast)

For Fans Of: The Acacia Strain, Gojira, Slipknot

It’s lucky that the Icelandic metallic hardcore troupe Une Misère (French for “a misery”) are getting all the attention they could ever want. Because if vocalist Jón Már Ásbjörnsson didn’t quit drinking, none of it would’ve happened. “I can honestly say that I would not be a part of this band if I wasn’t sober,” Ásbjörnsson told Discovered Magazine. “That is a good driving force for me to actually stay sober because the guys know that they don’t wanna be in a band with not-sober me. I’m this close to my dream, and I can achieve that just by not drinking. It makes it kind of simple and achievable, like a day at a time. So as long as I don’t drink today, then I might not drink tomorrow, and that brings me one day closer to doing whatever I wanna do for the rest of my life. I wanna stand on stage, and do this.” Using this mindset, Ásbjörnsson and company — guitarist Gunnar Ingi Jones, guitarist/vocalist Fannar Már Oddsson, bassist Þorsteinn Gunnar Friðriksson, and drummer Benjamín Bent Árnason — have been able to accomplish many things, including performances with As I Lay Dying, Thy Art Is Murder, Darkest Hour, Arch Enemy, and Lamb Of God, signing with Nuclear Blast (The Damned Things, Hatebreed, Municipal Waste,) and having producer Sky van Hoff (Eskimo Callboy, Kreator, Rammstein) work on their debut record Sermon. With lyrics straight from the heart and riffs brutal as all hell, Une Misère are clearly worth checking out.

Song to Listen to: “Sermon”

Nascar Aloe

Hometown: Lexington, NC

Out Now: IRAQ (IWRECK) – Single (Epitaph)

For Fans Of: City Morgue, Ski Mask The Slump God, XXXTENTACION

Meet Nascar Aloe. He’s the self proclaimed new Sid Vicious who’s addicted to buying gas station knives and mixing hardcore punk with rap. The North Carolina rapper has been making music since 2013 when he was 14. Nascar Aloe has performed under different aliases such as Aloe!, Yung Aloe, and Colby Suoy. He signed with Epitaph Records (The All-American Rejects, HUNNY, Save Face) in early 2020, dropping his label debut single “IRAQ (IWRECK)” in mid-January. He’s currently wrapping up a tour with Kb3ach, Bob Vylan, KidsNextDoor, and Death Tour. Later this year he’ll play at festivals like Reading And Leeds (The Bronx, Gallows, Rex Orange County) and Epicenter (Bones UK, Metallica, Sick Of It All.)

Song to Listen to: “IRAQ (IWRECK)”

For Your Health

Hometown: Columbus, OH

Out Now: Death Of Spring split with Shin Guard (Middle-Man)

For Fans Of: .gif from god, Orchid, SeeYouSpaceCowboy

Hailing from the bowels of the Midwest are For Your Health, a emotional hardcore quartet consisting of frontperson Hayden Rodriguez, guitarist Damian Chacon, bassist Johnny Debord, and drummer Sandro Zambrano-Villa. The four have been going hard since August 2018, doing shows with Old Wounds, Drug Church, awakebutstillinbed, I AM, and The Number Twelve Looks Like You, and dropping three EPs, their latest being a split with Shin Guard. BrooklynVegan even listed Death Of Spring as one of the best screamo releases of 2019. They’re playing a show with Wounded Touch, TIFFY, and Dead Bird Theory later today at Trumbullplex in Detroit.

Song to Listen to: “Charlie Brown’s Gotta Be Damn Near Public Domain By Now”

Decayer

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Out Now: End Note (We Are Triumphant)

For Fans Of: early Bring Me The Horizon, Despised Icon, Whitechapel

Brutal. That word can simply sum up what Arizonian deathcore quartet Decayer are. With only one album under their belt (2019’s End Note,) Decayer — vocalist Harrison Burkardt, guitarist David Scordato, bassist Keith Huffman, and drummer Devon Marr — are hear to throw down and only throw down. They even have some pretty heavy covers to their name. Decayer appeared on their label’s tribute to Bring Me The Horizon’s debut Count Your Blessings covering “Pray For Plagues” and were on Got You Covered, Vol. 4 with their rendition of Khalid’s “Talk.” Sleeping on Decayer would be an unwise mistake.

Song to Listen to: “Finding Purpose”

Thank You, I’m Sorry

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Out Now: The Malta House (Count Your Lucky Stars)

For Fans Of: Alvvays, Julien Baker, Snail Mail

Thank You, I’m Sorry started off solely with frontperson Collen Dow and their acoustic guitar. Now they’re joined with drummer Sage Livergood and bassist Bethany Schreiner. The trio craft songs that touch the soul of anyone listening with their relatable lyrics. Don’t believe me? Read my review of their debut album The Malta House then. They just wrapped up a tour with Tunnel Songs. I mean, if Count Your Lucky Stars signed them, you know, the label behind Kittyhawk, Into It. Over It., Snowing, Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate,) and Foxing, then Thank You, I’m Sorry must be doing something right.

Song to Listen to: “Manic Pixie Dream Hurl”

Wetter

Hometown: South Korea

Out Now: Love Is All Around – Single (POCLANOS)

For Fans Of: Arctic Monkeys, The Black Skirts, Hyukoh

Fuck K-Pop. It’s time for K-Indie. Wetter are a four-piece indie rock band who are finally setting their sights west. Influenced by Arctic Monkeys and Nirvana and having catchy as fuck hooks, vocalist Choi Wonbin, guitarist Jae Jiho, bassist Jung Jihoon, and drummer Heo Jinhyeok, have the skills to compete with what America has to offer. Even Alternative Press took notice of the group. They first bursted into the music world with their debut single “Who” and haven’t stopped rolling out hit after hit. They just dropped their new single “Love Is All Around” on February 18.

Song to Listen to: “GGONDAE”

Spiritbox

Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Out Now: Rule Of Nines – Single (Pale Chord)

For Fans Of: After The Burial, Northlane, Silent Planet

“In IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, we were the ‘replacement people’ for original members, and being that eventually wears you down.” That’s what Spiritbox and ex-IWABO frontwoman Courtney LaPlante told Loudwire in 2019. LaPlante and her now husband guitarist Michael Stringer (also a former member of IWABO) created Spiritbox as their way of stepping out of the shadows and making their own thing. Eventually recruiting bassist Bill Crook and Shreddy Krueger drummer Ryan Loerke, the art-metal quartet are ready to strike, eager to show the world what they’re made of. Since forming in 2017, the group have done shows with Enterprise Earth and Misery Signals, and are about to embark on a tour with After The Burial and Make Them Suffer. Welcome to the ghost zone.

Song to Listen to: “Rule Of Nines”

Lil Lotus

Hometown: Dallas, TX

Out Now: Never Get Away – Single (Epitaph)

For Fans Of: nothing,nowhere., Shinigami, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal

Texas based rapper Lil Lotus (real name John “Elias” Villagran) made history when he signed with Epitaph Records in late 2019, becoming the first emo rapper signed with the punk rock label. Since his signing, Epitaph added two more rappers; guccihighwaters just two days later, and Nascar Aloe in January, who you can read about in this exact list. He’s toured with Senses Fail and nothing,nowhere., and collaborated with former Epitaph signees I Set My Friends On Fire on their track “Don’t Take Me For Pomegranate.” The two even covered each other on the EP Online Now! with Lil Lotus doing an acoustic rendition of “Nothing Rhymes With Orange” and ISMFOF doing “Body Bag.” Looks like Epitaph are looking in the right direction for talent.

Song to Listen to: “Never Get Away”

Come back next week for more artists!

 

Chamber Sign With Pure Noise Records

Nashville hardcore act Chamber have joined the Pure Noise Records (Inclination, Mundy’s Bay, Stick To Your Guns) family.

The band broke the news yesterday along with the announcement of their 12″ Ripping/Pulling/Tearing, which features their new track “Replacing Every Weakness” and re-recorded versions of older tracks. Pre-orders are available now.

Chamber formed in 2017 and has slowly built up an incredible reputation. Revolver called the group “one of the most technically pugnacious hardcore bands around.” The band has toured with Gideon, The Acacia Strain, Old Wounds, Vamachara, and Orthodox.

They’ll be playing day 2 of Sophomore Slump Fest 2019 on Saturday, September 7 with Keep Flying, AVOID, and Shame Spiral.

Prenatt’s Picks: 50 Artists To Check Out In 2019 (Part 3)

Round three. Let’s do this.

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.

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

Without further delay, let’s start the list!

Of Night And Light

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Out Now: Of Night And Light (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Glassjaw, Microwave, Saosin

Since 2015, Of Night And Light have been bringing their unique style of post-hardcore mixed in with alt-rock and indie vibes to the local Buffalo music scene. Joseph Kinem (guitar, vocals), Cameron Thibault (bass, guitar, backing vocals), and Nick Badeau (drums) make up the powerful Buffalo trio. Of Night And Light “combines dynamic vocals with delayed, rhythmic guitar chops, aggressive overdriven bass riffs, and eclectic drum fills to create a full-bodied sound that moves from the quiet, effect-laden swells of indie rock to heavy instrumentals and breakdowns more reminiscent of hardcore and metal,” their Facebook page reads. Radio show The Uncharted Hour called ONAL “…a force to be reckoned with.” ONAL have done shows with Winski, Capstan, and Emarosa. They also played the final Vans Warped Tour at Darien Lake, N.Y., on the WNY Korner Stage with fellow local acts The Toy Box Brigade, Cardboard Homestead, and On The Cinder. They’re currently working on writing a new EP and recording with RJ DeMarco of Fernway at Skyway Studios in Hamburg, N.Y..

Song to Listen to: “Broken”

Cory Wells

Hometown: Redondo Beach, CA

Out Now: Patience – Single (Pure Noise)

For Fans Of: Dashboard Confessional, SayWeCanFly, Landon Tewers

Singer-songwriter Cory Wells is no stranger to music. He used to be in the band Lesser. Now solo, he’s teamed up with Pure Noise Records (Homesafe, Less Than Jake, Senses Fail) to show the world his talent. His voice is powerful and has such raw energy. The video for his song “End Of A Good Thing” currently has 1.4 million views. Also no, he’s not related to the lead vocalist of Three Dog Night. Under his solo project, Wells has done shows with Seahaven, In Her Own Words and Secondhand Serenade and has toured with William Ryan Key and Four Year Strong. A full-length should be out by this year.

Song to Listen to: “Walk Away”

Scarlxrd

Hometown: Wolverhampton, UK

Out Now: INFINITY (Lxrd Records/Island)

For Fans Of: Ghostemane, Ho99o9, $uicideboy$

Scarlxrd’s a rising name in the rap scene, combining metal with trap beats that will start mosh pits in seconds. It’s kinda funny that this hardcore rapper is actually Marius Listhrop, a former YouTuber who went by the name Mazzi Maz. The once quirky, upbeat vlogger who hung out with the infamous Sam Pepper is now tearing up stages. Scarlxrd just dropped his latest record INFINITY via his own label Lxrd Records and Island Records (Catfish And The Bottlemen, Keane, Mumford & Sons). He’ll be hitting up festivals like Afropunk Festival in August (Leon Bridges, Fire From The Gods, Hyro The Hero), Openair Frauenfeld in July (G-Eazy, Rae Sremmurd, Travis Scott), and Epicenter Festival in May (311, Basement, Fever 333). The rapper will be opening up for Bring Me The Horizon during their Second Base tour in the U.S. this May.

Song to Listen to: “NX PRESSURE”

We Are The Union

Hometown: Detroit, MI

Out Now: Self Care (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches, Big D And The Kids Table, Direct Hit!

We Are The Union have to be the oldest band on the list, forming back in 2005. In the past 14 years, the Michigan-based ska act have released four albums (their latest being the Kickstarter funded Self Care in 2018), playing shows with Mustard Plug, Direct Hit!, The Suicide Machines, Less Than Jake, and Mixtapes, and have done The FEST in Gainesville, Fla., numerous times. However, you might know one member of the band from his other project Skatune Network. Created by trombonist Jeremy Hunter in 2016, his project has him doing ska renditions of songs from La Dispute, Weezer, Free Throw, Japanese Breakfast, and A Day To Remember, plus songs from TV shows (Adventure Time, Daria, Steven Universe) and video games (DuckTales, Kirby, Sonic The Hedgehog). They’re currently on tour with The Code, Dollar Signs, and Tightwire.

Song to Listen to: “What’s Wrong With Me?”

Hightail Home

Hometown: Morgantown, WV

Out Now: Clean Fights – Single (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, The Front Bottoms, Never Shout Never

Remember Down They Fall? After the band broke up in 2018, former members Grayson Prince and Aron Golden got together to write some indie pop music under the name Hightail Home. Think of Dan Campbell of Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties/The Wonder Years singing Never Shout Never songs. The duo played their first show on New Year’s Eve at Thunderbird’s in Moundsville, W.Va. and have since done shows with Telltale and Fate’s Got A Driver, featuring Eddie Reyes (ex-Taking Back Sunday). They’re dropping their debut EP sometime this year.

Song to Listen to: “Clean Fights”

Nude Shoes

Hometown: Asbury Park, NJ

Out Now: Suburban Ceremonies – EP (Know Hope)

For Fans Of: Jimmy Eat World, Moneen, Transit

New Jersey knows how to do emo. The state gave us Senses Fail, Thursday, Man Overboard, Saves The Day, and My Chemical Romance, for fuck’s sake. Now, the Garden State has given us Nude Shoes, the one-man emo project created by Andy Katz, formerly of Weird And Wonderful Words. The songs on his debut EP Suburban Ceremonies are some of the finest emo tracks of the year. With Discovered Magazine, I said, “What you hear on Nude Shoes’s debut EP ‘Suburban Ceremonies’ are songs that just drip with pain and hope, composed of honest lyrics with that wonderful emo sound the state has given us time and time again.” He just did a show with bloom. back in January and did a run of shows back in March. Be on the look out for Nude Shoes.

Song to Listen to: “Headache For A Decade”

SeeYouSpaceCowboy

Hometown: San Diego/Los Angeles, CA

Out Now: Songs For The Firing Squad (Pure Noise)

For Fans Of: Heavy Heavy Low Low, Jesus Piece, Vein

This Cali sasscore band (their personal name for their mixture of mathcore and metalcore) are making waves. After signing with Pure Noise Records (Counterparts, Just Friends, Stick To Your Guns) in 2019, they released their debut album Songs For The Firing Squad. Prior to their signing, they’ve been kicking ass across the country, doing shows with with Old Wounds, Year Of The Knife, and Impending Doom. The sasscore quartet will be hitting the road this spring with Wristmeetrazor and will be performing at Spring Fling in Cleveland, Ohio, Saturday, May 4, with Turnover, Mom Jeans., and Culture Abuse. And yes, their name’s a reference to Cowboy Bebop. 

Song to Listen to: “Self Help Specialist Ends Own Life”

downcast

Hometown: South West England/South Wales/Midlands, UK

Out Now: downcast – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Neck Deep, ROAM, Seaway

Miss 2013 era pop-punk? So do downcast, an emo/pop-punk quartet hailing from the UK who are brining it back with a vengeance. Makes sense since there’s a track on their debut self-titled EP that’s named “2013”. Filled with the same sound you’ve come to know and love in the genre in the early 2010s, downcast are here to make you think of better times. They’ve done shows with Anchor Down, Who Saves The Hero?, and just wrapped up a tour with Light Years. As Kerrang! put it, “Cynics could label [downcast] as derivative, but the sheer effort, execution and honesty here mark downcast out as a treat for those with lost souls and broken hearts.” Think of better times and listen to UK’s finest up-and-coming pop-punk act downcast.

Song to Listen to: “I’m Sorry”

Radar State

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Out Now: Strays (Wiretap)

For Fans Of: The Anniversary, Gin Blossoms, Seaweed

This rock foursome is made up of some of the greatest emo groups of the late 90s and early 2000s. Radar State has Matt Pryor and Jim Suptic (The Get Up Kids), Josh Berwanger (The Anniversary), and Adam Phillips (The Architects, and no, not that Architects). The band’s label Wiretap Records (Audio Karate, Lost In Society, Spanish Love Songs) says about the supergroup, “The natural aspect of the band comes out in any discussion of Radar State’s music. The band as a whole agrees that this is something that just makes sense, given the fact that they’ve all shared the stage in some shape or form over the years. A sense of mutual appreciation and respect really drives the band, and the fact that all four are friends certainly helps.” Radar State have played Riot Fest in 2017 and have done shows with Say Anything and The Casket Lottery.

Song to Listen to: “Damn The Man”

Beach Bunny

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Out Now: Prom Queen – EP (Self-Released)

For Fans Of: Diet Cig, Kississippi, Snail Mail

Lili Trifilio has been working hard under the moniker Beach Bunny since 2015. In the four years she’s spent with that name, she and her backup band guitarist Matt Henkels and drummer Jonathan Alvarado have toured with PUP and Remo Drive, played Riot Fest in 2018, and will be playing their biggest show yet this summer: Lollapalooza. She even has her own fan group on Facebook called Beach Bunnyposting, where her fans “stan a queen in here and her name is Lili Trifilio.” Trifilio is inspired by everything “from heartache, her brother fighting cancer, struggles of being a female in the scene, and everyday obstacles,” according to the trio’s Facebook page. Beach Bunny is a band that you surely cannot pass on.

Song to Listen to: “Prom Queen”

Come back next week for more artists!