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!
Punk Goes Prenatt 