Pop Punk Singer Songwriter Archives

Lauren Ash Lights a Match with ‘COOL STORY, BRO’: A Pop-Punk Anthem Fuelled by Scathing Contempt

Posted on 4 April 2025

Lauren Ash is driving the nostalgia of pop-punk back onto the airwaves, though you’d be mistaken to expect a familiar revival. Her latest single, ‘COOL STORY, BRO’, confidently flits between glossy pop hooks and sultry-sweet harmonies before crashing headlong into alt-rock territory, exploding into an anthemic chorus driven by jagged guitars and electrifying percussion.

Written from the merciless vantage point of someone whose heartbreak has curdled into sharp-tongued contempt,the track is an acerbic wake-up call delivered with visceral intensity. Lauren Ash channels the relatable brutality of post-breakup clarity, turning personal wounds into lyrical dynamite reminiscent of Alanis Morissette’s unfiltered honesty on ‘Jagged Little Pill’, with a pop-punk energy.

Though best known for her roles as Dina Fox in NBC’s ‘Superstore’ and Lexi in ‘Not Dead Yet’, Ash’s dream was always rooted in songwriting and live performance. With her debut single ‘Now I Know’ soaring to #5 on Billboard’s Alternative Digital Song Sales and #1 on Canada’s iTunes Rock Chart, and performances at venues like the Viper Room and Whisky A Go Go, her musical ambition is swiftly matching her acting acclaim.

‘COOL STORY, BRO’ is now available to stream on all major platforms. Find your preferred way to listen on the artist’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ShadowHart’s ‘Calcified’ Hits Like a Gothic Cathedral Crumbling Under the Weight of Time

Posted on 18 March 2025

ShadowHart, AKA Richard Nelson, redefines pop-punk with the weight of his orchestral motifs and baroque-leaning vocals. ‘Calcified’ commands attention with its colossal crescendos and atmospherically charged angst.

A lifetime of musical obsession and technical expertise bleeds through every note. Raised in a household where guitars were practically heirlooms, Nelson cut his teeth young, climbing the ranks as one of Tennessee’s top jazz musicians before taking his talent through Auburn University and a career in aerospace engineering. Now, armed with a Master’s in Music Technology, he’s sculpting sound with the precision of someone who understands its mechanics from the inside out.

‘Calcified’ is a haunting contradiction. It carries the visceral energy of early 2000s pop-punk but leans into a cinematic darkness that sets ShadowHart apart. The emotive riffs and orchestral undertones carve out space for his vocals to amplify every lyric’s weight, swelling with the kind of gothic grandeur rarely heard in the genre. The theatrics never overshadow the sincerity—his voice cuts through the production like an elegy for youth, delivered with wisdom most of his contemporaries lack.

For a genre oversaturated with imitators, ShadowHart’s approach is an anomaly. With his full-length debut album dropping on April 25th, 2025, he won’t be lingering in the shadows for much longer.

‘Calcified’ is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast