Browsing Tag

00s Pop Punk

ShadowHart Unleashed: An Interview That Doesn’t Brake for Convention

Posted on 25 March 2025

ShadowHart’s debut LP Get In, I’m Driving tips its hat to early 2000s pop punk and drags it through a contemporary lens with orchestral flourishes, polyrhythmic guts, and a lyrical backbone that pushes past adolescent angst and into something more redemptive. In this exclusive interview with A&R Factory, the solo creative force behind ShadowHart opens up about the intricacies of building a sound that’s as technically bold as it is emotionally grounded. From composing music that tells a story before a single lyric is laid down to embracing the absurdity of mental clutter, ShadowHart isn’t playing it safe. If you’ve ever wondered what pop punk could sound like if it were rebuilt from the ground up with intention, invention, and a solid dose of self-awareness, this is one interview you won’t want to miss

Welcome to A&R Factory, ShadowHart! Your take on pop punk is hitting at just the right time, and Get In, I’m Driving sounds like it’s packed with the kind of energy and depth that’ll really connect with people. What drew you to the early 2000s pop punk sound, and what do you think today’s audience needs from it?

The first rock band I ever joined was an emo cover band. I hadn’t really experienced the genre before then – I grew up learning guitar via classic rock, and I was fascinated by metal music. But then I started listening and learning the tracks for the emo band and found influence from both of my favorite genres: melodic choruses and harmonies fused with high-energy distorted guitars. It was the perfect blend to stay musically interesting while reinvigorating the head bang. The audience that grew up on pop punk music wants to feel the nostalgia from when that music was popular, but ShadowHart sees a need for resolution from the angsty lyrics and depressive themes of the 2000s.

Get In, I’m Driving feels like an invitation. What kind of ride are you taking listeners on, and what’s the moment that really defines the record for you?

This record is exactly that – a ride full of excitement. ShadowHart takes you on a journey from a core sound and pushes the genre uniquely on each track, a hub-and-spoke approach to composition. If you listen carefully, you can hear influences from all corners of rock, punk, and metal music in this album. As ShadowHart’s debut record, Get In, I’m Driving invites listeners to experience the resurgence of their favorite anthems under a new, refreshing light. ShadowHart’s message is centered on finding triumph in the human aspects of life, like having friends who forgive you when you make mistakes, or recognizing your weaknesses and being able to laugh about them. There’s a track entitled “Looks Like We Made It” that acknowledges the struggles this generation grew up with and encourages listeners to look around and recognize everything they’ve accomplished. The album opens and closes with the same theme for a reason: there are plenty of songs about breaking up, but nobody sings about the good experiences we often forget to appreciate.

A lot of modern pop punk leans into nostalgia, but your lyrics seem rooted in what people are going through right now. Was there a particular moment or experience that shaped the themes on this album?

Sting said it best in an interview with Rick Beato, where he alluded to the “circular trap” of modern music, which enables songs and lyrics to continue endlessly into one another, but you never get a sense of release musically or lyrically. He was specifically referring to the observation that most songs no longer have a bridge, which is usually a key change that resolves the tension in the song. I found that discussion inspiring, and I realized that in today’s music, a song itself can be a resolution from the past 20 minutes… or 15 years… of angst. ShadowHart takes the sounds listeners love and provides hope in the wake of societal crises that we’re all facing every day.

You’ve got an orchestral score in one track and a polyrhythmic time signature in another—most people wouldn’t expect that in pop punk. How important is it for you to push the genre musically, not just lyrically?

The trait that sets ShadowHart apart from other genre enthusiasts is the complexity of the music. Each mix is robust and powerful, revealing secrets in its own special way, but they all maintain a central, core feeling. Nobody’s going to make the next “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” despite how hard many artists are trying. The challenge with making an impact today is giving the people something different musically while making them feel something they remember. Guitars, bass, and drums aren’t enough for a rock hit in 2025. I used influence from all ends of the musical spectrum – not just pop punk – to make these tracks, including references from bands like ERRA, Memphis May Fire, and even One Direction. Why? Because people LIKE it. Listeners think they know what they like until they hear something truly striking. Each track in Get In, I’m Driving pushes the boundary of modern music with the intent of achieving that movement in the listener’s soul – movement that they didn’t know they weren’t prepared to experience.

You’ve handled everything solo up to this point, but you’re looking to build a band and sign with a label. What’s been the biggest challenge in carrying this project on your own, and what are you looking for in the right collaborators?

The hardest part of doing everything yourself is quite honestly that it’s impossible, especially if you work full time. You can’t possibly record, mix, master, promote, and market yourself while simultaneously playing live, coordinating photography, designing merch, running advertisements, securing copyrights, and everything else that comes with the music industry. When you are working alone, every commitment is a trade-off. As an example, I quit performing live for nearly a year in order to complete this studio album, because I recognized it needed that level of dedication.

That said, ShadowHart is backed already by mentors, producers, media workers, and other musicians who have helped me on my journey. The next step is to take my digital presence to a live setting, which means I’ll need a band. I’m moving to Oklahoma City this summer in hopes to find like-minded and skilled musicians to collaborate with. ShadowHart’s biggest limitations are time and money. I’ve been grinding at this for over 3 years and made massive strategic moves, setting a foundation to build an empire, but I can only accomplish so much by myself. I’ll need a dedicated team including musicians, publicists, digital media coordinators, and investors who are all willing to go the distance both in and out of the studio to make ShadowHart a global reality.

Your single Trains, Planes, and Automobiles tackles intellectual distraction in a playful way, while Calcified deals with grief. How do you find the balance between making music that’s fun and still delivering something meaningful?

An old mentor of mine, Shelly Berg (phenomenal jazz pianist, by the way) once told me, “Every song has a story.” When I begin writing a new track, I first think of the story I want it to tell – the emotion I want the listener to feel – and I compose from there. The goal, and the challenge, is to tell the story musically before ever adding the lyrics. If you listen carefully in “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” there’s a breakdown section where the rhythm guitars start chugging along like a steam train’s exhaust, then a second guitar comes in with a “train horn” (minor 7th chord) over the top, followed by an octave “dinging” from the piano, like the station departure bell. Similarly, “Calcified” is a 4-chord song, but the main vocal harmony note is actually a major 2nd interval, creating dissonance over a major chord that pulls on your heart, like forcing a fake smile. In both cases, I’ve painted the picture with the music before ever adding lyrics, so the process is fun and exciting for me from the beginning.

Regardless of the nature of the feeling, ShadowHart is designed to make you feel – a concept which is often left out of contemporary radio hits. “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” may seem goofy at first, but beneath the surface is a very real and embarrassing mental struggle that many young adults deal with. If you dig deeper into “Calcified,” you’ll find we never actually lyrically discover what happened to the narrator, just the numbness and sorrow he feels. People who thoughtfully listen to Get In, I’m Driving will discover that every track has a very meaningful message behind the curtain.

You’ve got a clear vision for ShadowHart, but how do you see the project growing over time? Do you want to keep experimenting, or is there a core sound you’re looking to refine?

We’ve refined the sound pretty deliberately over the past few years, so at this point ShadowHart is looking outward. The ripped heart logo means something very real, and the next step is to find buy-in from others. I’m reaching out to similar artists with the intent to collaborate on some studio work – so if anyone is interested in featuring ShadowHart on your next track, please feel free to reach out!

Once the album drops in April, what’s next? Are live shows on the horizon, and how do you want people to experience these songs beyond the studio versions?

Every ShadowHart song online was designed to be played for a live audience, “The ShadowHart Experience,” if you will. The mixes are massive, and the tracks encourage audience participation, bringing energy that multiplies in the presence of more people. If listeners commit to enjoying ShadowHart the way it’s intended, I promise anyone will have fun. I intend to bring ShadowHart to the stage now and set the conditions for fanbase investment. Step one is to build an awesome band.

Hear ShadowHart’s latest releases on Spotify and find out more about the artist via their official website.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Chelsea Lyn Meyer Fires Up the Future of Pop-Punk Nostalgia with ‘tease’

Posted on 15 March 2025

Chelsea Lyn Meyer slams the accelerator on early 2000s pop-punk nostalgia with tease, a track that revisits the era and rips through it with full-throttle energy. Over crunched, hyped, and gnarled guitar chords, she fuels the anthemic momentum with cannonball vocal lines, unleashing heavy emotive artillery. The hooks hit hard, the attitude is undeniable, and while the sound may spark memories of the genre’s golden days, Meyer is pushing it forward with visceral conviction.

Before launching her solo career, Meyer cut her teeth in the pop-punk outfit 2AM, where she built a reputation for crafting infectious, high-energy anthems. The band’s success led to music award wins, radio play, and slots supporting Capitol Records-signed artists. After 2AM disbanded, Meyer’s solo releases, including Between the Lies and This One’s On You, dominated indie radio charts, securing #1 spots on stations like Gaslight Radio in NYC and Indie Rock Radio in Nashville. Working with producer Michael Wuerth, she continued to amplify her presence with tracks that critics hailed as reinventions of the genre.

Now leading her debut EP, tease proves Meyer’s ability to reignite pop-punk’s essence while keeping it firmly planted in the present. With high-energy hooks and sharp, seductive confidence, this is a revival with teeth.

tease is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ever So Good Sunk Their Pop-Rock Hooks Into a Frenzy of Euphoria with ‘Super Friend’

Posted on 26 February 2025

‘Super Friend’ is the latest sugar rush of pop-rock energy from Marcus Perry’s long-running passion project, Ever So Good, which has been fine-tuning the formula of melodic punk-tinged rock anthems since 1998. The ever-shifting collective of collaborators has never lost sight of its mission—turning raw emotion into soaring choruses that demand to be shouted back.

With ‘Super Friend,’ Ever So Good proves once again that knowing how to ignite nostalgia doesn’t mean getting lost in it. Their dopamine-drenched pop-punk and power-pop influences shine through without a trace of pastiche. The instrumentals pulse with enough power to light up a city, while Perry’s vocals glide through melodies that cling to the memory like a long-lost favourite from the early 00s.

Only an alchemist of sound could turn the despair of the friend zone into such a riot of serotonin. ‘Super Friend’ doesn’t wallow; it soars, inviting listeners to shake off their ennui and revel in the chaos of longing. For anyone who grew up blasting anthems from the golden era of pop-punk, this track is a sharp reminder of why those hooks still hit home.

‘Super Friend’ is available now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Divert from your destination to isolated despair with IGOR’s pop-punk anthem, Alone

Posted on 16 September 2024

IGOR pierced the pop-punk veil with his latest single, Alone, which implants a self-deprecating flag in the post-breakup landscape and anthemises the ache of romantic dissolution.

Born in Ukraine, raised in Russia, finessed in America, and now based in New York and part of the LGBTQ+ community, the independent artist is unflinching in his mission to soak the airwaves in self-love. Alone is one of the most affecting sonic extensions of his dedication to uplifting his listeners from self-inflicted despair.

Alone taps into early 2000s rock vibes, offering a rhythmic rebellion that evokes nostalgia while marinating it in a euphorically projected melancholy. The battle cry for the soul pulls at the heartstrings with the universal mantra we’ve all whispered post-heartbreak, “I’ll be better off alone”. IGOR transforms this often private concession into a rallying cry for communal solace, affirming that no one is truly isolated in their feelings of destined solitude.

It’s so much more than just a journey through emotional desolation; it’s a cathartic release that prises serotonin from the grips of despair. IGOR paved the path back to embracing the empowering nature of self-reliance with the therapeutic hit dedicated to the broken-hearted looking to find their way back to themselves.

Alone hit the airwaves on September 4th, stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A&R Factory Checked the Punk Pulse of Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs in an Exclusive Interview Ahead of Their Debut LP

Posted on 17 July 2024

This week, we sat down with Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs as they make their ascent and become the premier pop punk powerhouse of this generation following the launch of their debut album Become More on July 24th. In this exclusive interview, we explore the band’s origins, the humorous genesis of their moniker and the evolution of their fast-paced punk roots.

Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs, welcome to A&R Factory! Before we get into discussing your upcoming releases, we have to know the story behind your moniker.

Haha, you’re not the first to ask and you surely won’t be the last. People’s minds often head straight for the gutter when they see our band name, and while we don’t blame them, there’s actually no filth intended!

It’s a reference to our first-ever rehearsal. Or, to put it more accurately, our bassist’s (Jay) audition. He’s since admitted he was very nervous, but all we could see was him struggling to work the amp in our practice space. He was just turning the knobs on the amp and they were doing nothing, and someone said they were just aesthetic knobs, which we jokingly said would make a good band name, and it stuck.

The reason it’s Dan Bibby AND the Aesthetic Knobs is because, initially, it was a solo artist and backing band situation, which very quickly changed as we became a four-piece collaborative band that wrote everything together. We just never changed the name. We’ve thought about changing it a few times. Who knows, maybe one day we might.

What brought you together as a band?

I had written an album I wanted to play live and needed to recruit some friends to help me pull it off. I was already in a cover band with Pete (drums) and Hagrid (guitar/vocals), so they were easy to find. I’d known Jay for a few years, and he reached out after I posted an ad for a bassist. As soon as we played one show together, we knew we’d found a stellar combination of people – even if we say so ourselves.

Which roles does everyone play, and to get to know you on a more intrinsically human level, what kinds of idiosyncrasies and neurosis does each member bring to the outfit?

As well as my guitar and vocal duties, I’m the main coordinator of the band. I make sure we stay on track with writing, rehearsals, organizing studio sessions, that sort of thing. We don’t have a manager right now, and there’s a surprising amount of admin and social media stuff for an independent band that I tend to take charge of too. I can get a little overbearing with it all, as I’m sure the other guys would agree, but I struggle to ever really switch off.

Hagrid is great at adding flair to key moments in songs, and even he’s admitted he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing in the moment! He has an incredibly improvisational approach to many aspects of being in a band, which generally tends to serve him and us well, but it can stress me the hell out.

Jay is one of the band’s biggest fans – by his own admission. So, he’s kind of like an embedded cheerleader for himself and all of us. He has a natural ability to inject enthusiasm into many situations where it can be difficult to stay motivated. He also has a knack for coming up with perfect solutions to crossroads during writing sessions. The downside? He likes to make up his own terminologies to refer to these brilliant ideas. So, it can take a while to translate what he’s saying.

We’re forever counting our blessings that we have a drummer like Pete. Not only is he great at his instrument, but we don’t have to share him with any other bands! Anyone in a band will know how rare it is to find a drummer who ticks both boxes. He can also be a bit of a hothead when he sets his mind on something. He’s not particularly immovable, but he does have a tendency to get his point in before everyone else, and he says it loud.

What can your fans expect from your debut album, Become More, which is due for release on the 24th of July? 

It’s something of a sonic rollercoaster. We tried to make sure every song was distinct, but that they still sounded like they were from the same record. It was a difficult balance to find, but I think we did it. For every hard-hitting, heavy moment, there’s a stretch of laid-back, fun periods. There are several flashes that I still think are brilliantly unexpected, but in a way that brings a smile to my face, so I hope others get that same feeling when they listen to it as well.

For those who’ve heard our older material, there’s still plenty of the rapid, punk rock stuff. But we’ve also thrown in some tracks that offer an artful breather over the course of the album.

Will your double-single release on the 17th of July set the tone of the album?

I wouldn’t say these two songs set the tone on their own, but they add to the tapestry of clues that the previous three singles have also helped create. There are a lot of different rock sub-genres on the album, so each song is another piece of the puzzle. Out of context, they could even be interpreted by some as being by completely different bands! But I also think there’s a tangible connection between them too. It’s the same four guys on all of these songs, and you can tell.

How has your sound evolved leading up to your LP? 

We used to very much get caught up on playing everything fast and loud, and you can hear that on our previous two EPs. It’s not a bad thing, as we still love playing fast and loud now, it’s just that we’ve made an effort to add extra strings to our bow for the album. We only really realized a few songs into writing that putting together an album isn’t identical to doing it for an EP. An EP can easily be four or five songs that are gone in the blink of an eye. We could easily have just carried on what we’ve always done – which we have, for some of the new songs – but where is the fun in retreading old ground?

Who are the main artists who provided a foundational influence for the album?

Our main shared love music-wise is all the pop-punk royalty bands from the 90s/00s. So, there’s a lot of that in there. However, we didn’t want to sound like we’d just written an album that would slot perfectly into that period. We’ve leaned into more modern rock bands who are kind of spiritual successors to some of our favourite bands. Acts like Hot Milk, Badflower, Mom Jeans, they all had an impact on how the new material sounds. We never make a conscious effort to sound like any band in particular, but it’s tough not to hear the influence when you listen back.

The album has been two years in the making and during that time you’ve also hit the road to go on tour twice, was it tough to balance honing your live sound and laying down the tracks?

It was relatively tricky, yeah. As I said, we play most songs a million miles an hour live, which isn’t something that always translates well to a studio recording. So, it was a struggle to reign ourselves in at times and remind ourselves that we can always speed it up a bit when we hit the stage again. Hagrid suggested fairly early on in the process that we needed to work the new songs into the sets so we could workshop them live, which really benefitted the material in the long run. On the whole, I think we balanced the end result really well. The songs will always sound more raw live I think, which is always good.

Who worked with you on the production and what did they bring to the table?

We went right back to our regular producer when we knew we wanted to record an album. His name is Tom “Dringy” Dring, and he’s recorded every single one of our songs so far. We’ve built up a great working relationship and friendship with Dringy over the years, and he’s increasingly less afraid to tell us when a take was shit and that we need to do it again. It’s a slap in the face every time, but one we welcome because it makes the end result the best it can be. He also laid down the sax solo in Deep Breath, which is one of my favourite moments on the entire album.

Our friend Pook also played the trombone part in Falling Like Flies. He’s in an insane ska/metal band called Redeemon, and he sent us the recording remotely, and we’re very grateful he found the time to help us out! Also a huge shoutout to Jen and Abi for helping us with the gang vocals in Deep Breath.

How does the album align with your broader career goals? 

The four of us are in this for the long haul, and I think spending every spare moment, penny, and ounce of energy we had on recording one album for two years helps prove that. There was never a moment when we considered giving up, or ever really got frustrated with the process. We’re incredibly proud of how it’s turned out, and it’ll take us beautifully into the next stage of what we hope to achieve – which is a whole goddamn lot. A debut album can help set the tone for a band, regardless of any previous releases, so we’ve given this one everything we’ve got.

–

Stream Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs on Spotify, and follow the band on Instagram and TikTok.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Project Revise tended to the wounds of scene victims with their nettled with emo nostalgia single, Take the World

Posted on 11 November 2023

After we joined the Worcestershire, UK three-piece pop-punk powerhouse, Project Revise, in ‘Free Fall’ with their previous release, we’re stoked to announce that they’re back on the airwaves with their nettled with emo nostalgia latest single, Take the World.

Fans of Taking Back Sunday, Funeral for a Friend and New Found Glory will easily find a place on their playlists for the caustic cuts of the guitars, chugging basslines that leave you psyched for the gravity-defying choruses and adrenalizing infectious vocal lines which soar through the lyrics that run through the pitfalls of staying loyal to toxicity within a scene.

Project Revise’s tracks have previously been heard on BBC Introducing and seminal Spotify playlists, including New Punk Tracks, Pop Punk’s Not Dead, Skatepark Punks and Punk Unplugged. Given that Take the World is some of their viscerally viral-worthy work to date, we expect this rancorous hit to take them to the same heights as Hawthorne Heights.

Take the World will be released on October 20; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK pop-punk powerhouse Project Revise is in ‘Free Fall’ in their latest music video

Posted on 5 October 2023

Fans of Thrice, Glassjaw, and Reuben won’t be able to resist the hooks which punch with 00s emo volition in the latest single from the UK pop-punk powerhouse of a trio, Project Revise.

The ragged with rancour basslines wrap their snarls around the cacophonously tight drum fills beneath the nostalgically crunchy guitars as the vocal lines mainline antagonised adrenaline into Free Fall. There are high-octane hits, and there are releases that make you wonder if the instruments were plugged into nuclear reactors instead of amps, Project Revise is well and truly in the latter camp with Free Fall, and they’ve been there ever since they crashed into the scene in 2017 and started snagging accolades left, right, and centre.

They’ve been lauded by Kerrang, shot music videos with the Bowling for Soup frontman, Jaret Reddick, landed themselves on editorial playlists, and received endless BBC Introducing airplay. If they keep on releasing hits in the same vein as Free Fall, we’re pretty sure their career highlights will become infinitely more incandescent.

Watch the official music video for Free Fall on YouTube or add the track to your pop-punk playlists on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chandra’s Lighters to the Sky is a pop punk-hooked hit for the dreamers

Posted on 2 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/listentochandra/lighters-to-the-sky/s-JjGxeKmioBv?si=ee8aab36962d40619a6fa6a62f049fe9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Holding your lighters in the air at rock shows might be a slightly nostalgic way to signify how much a hit has touched your soul, but it’s a pretty fitting parable for the vintage rock aesthetics in Chandra’s latest single, Lighters to the Sky, which will throw you right back to the early 00s.

If you can imagine what Glen Hansard’s single, Falling Slowly, would sound like if it was boldly augmented with pop-punk hooks, you’ll get a great idea of the songwriting chops the Bristol, UK-based solo artist possesses.

Lyrically, Lighters to the Sky is an ode to the big dreamers whose visions are often met with cynicism from people with smaller ambitions. It is a stunning reminder that no one will ever be able to see the future you’re painting in your mind until you reach your respective top and exhibit it all for all to see.

Lighters to the Sky will officially release on April 28. Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Donny Meowz concocted a cocktail of cats, pop-punk and entropy in his latest single, Kitty Crushed

Posted on 21 April 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pXxJ0-bhEg

After spinning a charming pop-punk tale about a cat and its psych ward-frequenting owner, Donny Meowz will be irresistible to crazy cat ladies the world over after the launch of his latest music video, Kitty Crushed. You can probably count me among those enamoured masses.

No longer is Plea from a Cat Named Virtue the best track that traverses themes of mental health and feline affection. Donny Meowz hit all the right notes with his insanity-encompassing hit that rolls with all the entropic punches. Keep your next mental break at bay with the stellar ode to 00s emo.

Check out the official video for Kitty Crushed by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Drive By Cinema wrapped their hooks around toxic party culture in the 00s pop-punk hit, Drink On

Posted on 30 December 2022

The Palmdale, CA pop-punk outfit Drive By Cinema launched a scathingly hooky attack on party culture in their latest single, Drink On, featuring the NY pop-punk band, Ronx.

In their own nihilistically hedonist words, “Drive By Cinema makes pop punk for when you want to party, but you also want to die”. On that basis alone, we adore the five-piece that is bringing back the sound of Fall Out Boy, Blink-182 and Hawthorne Heights with a modern twist.

While the lyrics cut you deep in Drink On, the choruses will wrap you up in their boisterous momentum before the verses melodically wind it back down to ensure every lyric makes maximum impact. The independent outfit might wear their heart on their sleeves but there’s plenty of room in the hit to brand their sonic signature through the contrasts in tempo, which encapsulate the rollercoaster life when you’re always chasing the highs, numbing the pain and crashing right back down with less serotonin than when you started.

Following Drink On, Drive By Cinema is priming their album release with Johnathan Mireles (audio engineer for Travis Barker & Machine Gun Kelly). Stay tuned.

Drink On will officially release just in time for New Year’s Eve revelry on December 30th. You might want to rethink your plans after hearing it. Spin it on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast