Reading And Leeds – Punk Goes Prenatt

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!

Young rapper Juice WLRD has passed away. He was 21.

The Chicago born rapper whose real name is Jarad Anthony Higgins died after suffering a seizure this morning at Chicago Midway airport, according to TMZ.

TMZ reported that the rapper “was still conscious when he was rushed to a hospital. However, he was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital.”

Juice WLRD first gained prominence with his 2018 single “Lucid Dreams,” which sampled Sting’s 1993 song “Shape Of My Heart.” He would later sign with Interscope Records (BLACKPINK, Louis The Child, Playboi Carti,) dropping two albums. His latest was Death Race For Love, released back in March.

The rapper collaborated with artists like Travis Scott, RM and Suga of BTS, Lil Yatchy, Ellie Goulding, and Future, with the latter teaming up to create the mixtape Wrld On Drugs. He’s toured with Ski Mask The Slump God, YBN Cordae, and Nicki Minaj, and performed at festivals like Made In America 2019 (Cardi B, Dominic Fike, Rosalía,) Camp Flog Gnaw 2019 (The Internet, Solange, Tyler, The Creator,) and Reading And Leeds 2019 (The 1975, Charli XCX, You Me At Six.)

What’s eerie about his passing is that he apparently predicted his young death in his song “Legends.” In the track he raps, “What’s the 27 Club? We ain’t making it past 21.”

Several musicians like Billy Martin of Good Charlotte, Andrew McGuire of Afterlife, and Zedd, tweeted their reactions and thoughts after hearing of his death.

Prior to his passing, Higgins was facing a lawsuit from defunct pop-punk outfit Yellowcard, who said “Lucid Dreams” was copying “melodic elements” from their 2006 song “Holly Wood Died.” They were suing the rapper for $15 million. Yellowcard’s attorney Richard Busch issued a statement reading:

“This was not a lawsuit [Yellowcard] wanted to file. They put all of the parties on notice a long while ago and gave them every opportunity to try to resolve it. That notice was pretty much ignored leaving them with no real choice. As alleged in the Complaint, this is not just a generic Emo Rap song, but is a blatant copy of significant original compositional elements of “Holly Wood Died” in several respects. Beyond that, everything we have to say is in the Complaint.”

Rest In Peace Juice WRLD.

Punk Goes Prenatt

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Juice WRLD Dead At 21