Motion City Soundtrack Drop 7″ For A Good Cause

COVID-19 has affected numerous people across the globe, case in point, Motion City Soundtrack.

The recently reunited emo band are doing everything they can to help their road crew who’ve been affected by the pandemic by releasing a 7″ for charity. The band wrote:

“‪CHARITY ALERT! Hey there, good friends. We just wanted to let you know that a while back we re-recorded some old songs for a 7” gift last tour as part of our VIP program.

Thinking about what we could do to give our crew a brief reprieve from the horrors of daily living, as well as @nivassoc #saveourstages we though we’d unload the extra 7” records and donate the money.

niice things was gracious enough to set this up for us. They are limited, so time is of the essence. If you can’t afford this, please spread the word. Do what you can. We ain’t shit without our crew. And the independent venues we went to as young punks were responsible for giving us safe spaces to be ourselves and shape/warp our little emotional minds.

Much love, Y’all!”

This limited edition 7″ features two classic songs re-recorded, “Capital H” and “Mary Without Sound”. Both songs came from their debut album I Am The Movie which came out on Epitaph Records (The All-American Rejects, Fake Names, Smrtdeath).

The Lawrence Arms Announce First Album In Six Years

Punk rocks The Lawrence Arms are back with a new album!

Six years after their last record dropped, the band have finally announced a new one. Skeleton Coast, their seventh album and second overall with Epitaph Records (Cold Hart, The Ghost Inside, Smrtdeath,) will come out July 17.

“For a band who has been around as long as us, this is about as urgent of a record as we could make,” vocalist/bassist Brendan Kelly said in a press release. “It may be kind of dark but it’s really about searching for light in the darkness and finding it, as small as those moments may seem. That’s sort of where we’re at: Collecting the scraps of things that could make for a bearable existence in dark times.”

The first single “PTA” is out now to listen to and stream.

Check out the artwork and track list below.

1. Quiet Storm
2. PTA
3. Belly Of The Whale
4. Dead Man’s Coat
5. Pigeons and Spies
6. Last Last Words
7. Demon
8. Ghostwriter
9. How To Rot
10. Under Paris
11. Goblin Fox Hunt
12. Lose Control
13. Don’t Look At Me
14. Coyote Crown

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!

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!