Yes.
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.
Without further delay, let’s start the list!
Small Talks
Hometown: Myrtle Beach, SC
Out Now: A Conversation Between Us (Common Ground)
For Fans Of: Broadside, Paramore, Tonight Alive
Let me say this first: Small Talks are going to blow up in 2019. The pop-punk project created by singer-songwriter Cayley Spivey has been gaining steam with each new day. Spivey first started writing songs in her bedroom and performed at local coffee shops, gaining a fanbase that’s been rapidly growing. Small Talks signed with California based label Common Ground Records in 2017 and has released a few singles, an EP titled Until It Turns To Petals that same year, and dropped their debut album A Conversation Between Us back in February, which was one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Her and her touring band have done shows with Can’t Swim, With Confidence, and FLOODS, and played festivals such as Snowed In, The FEST, and the final Vans Warped Tour. Their Facebook says that “For Cayley, it’s all about connecting with the people around her through music and wanting to give a life long memory for her audience every show. She brings energy and surprises to every show while providing fans with a place to be themselves regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or race.” The band will be touring with shortly later in May.
Song to Listen to: “Oceans”
Capstan
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Out Now: Stars Before The Sun – Single (Fearless)
For Fans Of: Belmont, A Day To Remember, Settle Your Scores
Calling themselves “progressive post-hardcore” and “metal for pop-punk kids”, Capstan are a light/heavy five-piece from sunny Florida who are here to brighten up your day with beatdowns and poppy riffs. Mixing in elements of post-hardcore, easycore, and pop-punk, they keep the heaviness found in post-hardcore and mix it in with the poppy hooks found in bands like New Found Glory and State Champs without abounding their sound. Capstan are one of the most unique groups in the current music scene. They just signed with Fearless Records (I Prevail, Oceans Ate Alaska, Starset) late last year and will be dropping their debut full-length sometime this year. They’ve toured with groups like Silverstein, Eidola, and Belmont, which shows the credibility that they can swing with both heavy-hitters and pop-punkers. Capstan will be hitting the UK this fall with Trash Boat and Doll Skin.
Song to Listen to: “Stars Before The Sun”
grandson
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Out Now: a modern tragedy, vol. 2 – EP (Fueled By Ramen)
For Fans Of: AWOLNATION, Brick + Mortar, Yungblud
America meet your maker. Hailing from the north is this politically fueled singer-songwriter, and he’s here to tell America about its problems one song at a time. The artist signed to Fueled By Ramen (Basement, Dashboard Confessional, ONE OK ROCK) in April 2018 and has released two EPs titled a modern tragedy vol. 1 and vol. 2. grandson has toured with acts like Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers, Joywave, and The Smashing Pumpkins and will be hitting festivals like the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival, Slam Dunk, and Welcome To Rockville, which has him performing with acts like Santana, Kublai Khan, and Papa Roach. He also just appeared on Rock Sound‘s Worship And Tributes II CD covering Rage Against The Machine’s “Maria”. As long as America’s in need of fixing, grandson will be here watching over his grandchildren.
Song to Listen to: “Apologize”
HARD LOSS
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Out Now: In The Grey – Single (Self-Released)
For Fans Of: Beartooth, A Day To Remember, State Champs
When vocalist Tyler Kasch left Tear Out The Heart last year, he luckily had a back up band. Insert HARD LOSS, a hockey loving pop-punk band that keeps the heaviness that Kasch had with TOTH. Blending in elements of pop-punk with post-hardcore, HARD LOSS are hear to finally show the world what they’re made of. Their lyrics are personal such as the emotional “No One Fights Alone” and the hard-hitting “In The Grey”. They’ve done shows with Famous Last Words, Real Friends, and Hit The Lights in the St. Louis area. The biggest thing that’s happened to the band was they won a contest by the St. Louis Blues and got to perform their song “The Overtime Anthem (We All Bleed Blue)” to the crowd during a game in 2017. If you’re a fan of hockey, pop-punk, and shedding tears, you’ll love HARD LOSS.
Song to Listen to: “In The Grey”
Just Friends
Hometown: Dublin/Pleasanton, CA
Out Now: Nothing But Love (Pure Noise)
For Fans Of: The Band Apart, The Go! Team, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Like funk? Like punk? Like bands with a shit ton of people in them? Look no further than the Californian nonet Just Friends. If you read my blog, you probably read my review of their latest album Nothing But Love, just re-released by Pure Noise Records (Four Year Strong, Inclination, Youth Fountain). I called the album “a damn good time”, which it is. They’ve toured with Mom Jeans., Prince Daddy & The Hyena, and will be spending the summer touring on the touring festival Sad Summer Fest with The Maine, L.I.F.T, and Forever The Sickest Kids. They’re one of the funkiest bands on this list, so please pay attention to Just Friends.
Song to Listen to: “Supersonic”
KURORAK
Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia
Out Now: XXI (Self-Released)
For Fans Of: Camellia, Kobaryo, t+pazolite
Drum & bass, breakbeat, EDM, he does them all. This musical mage is conjuring up spells to get you dancing. “The bigger part my influences come from Japanese rhythm game musics,” KURORAK said. So with Japanese rhythm games being his main influence, it’s no surprise that some of his songs appear in one. He has a track in the rhythm games Cytus II and Dynamix (he won a contest for that one). The mage continued with, “There’s no really specific genre of what I usually do because I make songs of genres I feel like doing: some days it’s Drum n’ Bass, some days it’s electro, some days it’s sampling a bunch of other songs.” He did state that he had big plans for the year but is currently keeping it a secret.
Song to Listen to: “ATHANASY”
Between You & Me
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Out Now: Everything Is Temporary (Hopeless)
For Fans Of: Knuckle Puck, Neck Deep, With Confidence
While they’ve been on Hopeless Records (Bayside, dying in designer, Story Untold) for over two years, the Australian quintet Between You & Me are still heavily unknown. They’ve got a pretty solid sound for a band who is only a few years old, and they’re on a label that signs only the finest pop-punk acts. Clearly they’re doing something right. They’ve toured with some of the scene’s best acts like WSTR, Like Pacific, The Maine, Trash Boat, and As It Is. Just listen to tracks like “Overthinking”, “Twice Shy” and “Dakota” and you’ll get hooked. Between You & Me will be busy this May, touring with Hellions in their native country and will be performing at Slam Dunk with I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, Lights, and Cruel Hand.
Song to Listen to: “Dakota”
Spencer Robinson And The Wolf Spiders
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Out Now: Poisonous Berry – Single
For Fans Of: The Cramps, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Tom Waits
Spencer Robinson is no stranger to the world of music. He’s spent years playing in the legendary LA garage band The Lords Of Altamont, performing with acts like X, The Cramps, and even The Who. Now under his new project, he vows to create material that’s darker and grittier than his past work. Their debut single “Poisonous Berry” came out last October via UK label Komakino Records (Idiot Robot, Jack Winters, Yaperone). Expect more stuff later this year.
Song to Listen to: “Drink Gasoline, Spit Fire”
Scavengers
Hometown: South Wales, UK
Out Now: Deadlock – Single (Self-Released)
For Fans Of: Kids In Glass Houses, My Chemical Romance, Thrice
Over the years Wales has cranked out some pretty incredible bands, giving the world a melting pot of artists from multiple genres like Neck Deep, The Joy Formidable, and Funeral For A Friend. And now another band has emerged from the area, ready to their presence to be known: Scavengers. Created only five months ago, this alt-rock group have been working hard on their craft, getting ready to finally strike. “Our past projects taught us a lot about being in a band; from writing songs, to performing, to how the industry works, etc. but asides that, Scavengers is trying to succeed where perhaps our past exploits failed; we all agree that previously we were too hung up on genres, throwing out tracks because they didn’t tick a certain box,” vocalist Marek Ball said. “I think we’re just a lot more forgiving of ourselves with our writing; we’re not trying to write the deepest lyrics or the hardest drops, we just want to have fun with it all.” The quartet just dropped their newest song “Deadlock” last month. The group will make their debut performance tomorrow with Mantra at Tiny Rebel in Cardiff.
Song to Listen to: “Deadlock”
Lighterburns
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Out Now: The Last Time You’ll Love Me – EP (Self-Released)
For Fans Of: Brand New, Like Pacific, Saves The Day
If you went to Warped Tour last year, chances are you probably didn’t see Lighterburns. However, if you did see this San Diego based pop-rock trio, you saw one of the most underrated acts on the whole tour. Formed in 2016 as a duo, the band have been mostly gigging throughout the San Diego area, doing shows with Family Thief, Wanted Noise, and Farewell Winters. They spent the past couple summers on the Vans Warped Tour, rocking out throughout the summer. Their latest EP The Last Time You’ll Love Me reminisces of early 2000s pop-punk acts like Fall Out Boy and Saves The Day. The trio will be releasing a new single soon.
Song to Listen to: “McGuffin”
Come back next week for more artists!
Punk Goes Prenatt 