Browsing Tag

pop punk

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

Versonic’s ‘Against The Night’ is an Indie Rock Earworm Infectious Enough to Spark a New Pandemic

Posted on 25 February 2025

Versonic is living proof that it’s never too late to chase your passions. Fronted by Stephen Connor, who picked up a guitar at 54 and rapidly transitioned from playing Oasis covers at open mics to writing and recording original music, the band has built a reputation for crafting tracks that bridge Britpop nostalgia with modern indie rock energy. Since the release of Brand New Man in 2018, Versonic has remained committed to delivering music with an unrelenting spirit.

With Against The Night, the band injects feverish punches of pop-punk into the backbone of 90s Britpop, with frenetic vocals bringing the energy of Rancid over guitars that blaze between angular indie rock and pop punk hooks. There’s no doubt that Versonic delivered something authentically inventive with Against The Night.

It’s a euphoric riot that protests against the poisoned perception filters and sees the potential in every day. With this on your playlists, you’ll be as unreckonable as Versonic as they storm through the industry with a sound that delivers juggernautical blows to nihilism.

 Against The Night is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nathan Leong’s DOG DAYS – A Shock to the Pop Punk System

Posted on 10 February 2025

A major shift in the evolution of rock was overdue, and Nathan Leong delivered more than we bargained for with DOG DAYS. Tying trap into pop-punk hooks, Leong orchestrates an electro-rock riot of adrenalised euphoria. Instead of relying on scuzzy guitar riffs, he lets the synths do the heavy lifting, flipping the script on pop punk while still delivering the infectious appeal of a pit-ready anthem.

Leong’s equally energised vocal lines bounce over the polyphonic-layered instrumentals, solidifying his place as an artist dragging pop-punk into the future; as much as it kicks and screams. The exhilaration of hearing the Beatles for the first time may be something today’s music fans will never experience, but DOG DAYS might just come close.

The Hong Kong-based artist, known for his unfiltered lyricism and genre-blurring approach, has been building his presence fast. With 28,000+ monthly Spotify listeners and Instagram covers racking up views in the hundreds of thousands, Leong is proving there’s still a hunger for angst-driven, high-energy rock. Taking cues from Machine Gun Kelly, Green Day, and Paramore, his sound balances nostalgia with a refusal to conform, making him a vital voice in a genre that has too often been left to stagnate.

The future of pop-punk is here—stop looking back and experience it with DOG DAYS, now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lauren Ash – Whiplash: A Relentless Assault of Punk Rock Ferocity

Posted on 15 January 2025

Lauren Ash’s transition from award-winning actress to punk rock powerhouse proves she’s more than adept at commanding the spotlight in any arena. With her latest single, Whiplash, Ash and her band crank the scuzz to its absolute peak, delivering a relentless assault of punk rock ferocity. The track combines riotous pop-punk hooks with the unrelenting pulse of pure rock energy, creating an anthemic, adrenaline-spiked experience.

Known for her sharp comedic timing in roles such as Dina Fox in Superstore and Scorpia in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Ash channels a new kind of intensity in Whiplash, shredding through punk conventions with unapologetic grit. Her raw vocal delivery pairs perfectly with a blistering arrangement of riffs and percussion that lands like a gut punch and resonates long after the track ends.

Since stepping into the music scene in 2023, Ash has made a monumental impact. Her debut single, Now I Know, hit #1 on the Canadian iTunes Rock Chart and climbed to #5 on the Billboard Alternative Digital Song Sales chart. Following a string of high-profile performances, including sets at Los Angeles’ iconic Whisky a Go Go and the Viper Room, Ash is gearing up to release her debut album in 2025.

Whiplash was officially released on January 13th; stream the single on Spotify now and discover more ways to connect with Lauren Ash via her website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Punk Fury and Bruised Egos: Itz Namo Lets Loose in ‘SCREAMING’

Posted on 26 October 2024

At just 20, Itz Namo from Grand Rapids, Michigan, has already carved his niche in the pop-punk rock scene by blending garagey grit with earworm-worthy hooks. What started as a musical joke during his high school years has now catapulted him into the alt-pop-punk spotlight with his latest single, ‘SCREAMING’.

Echoing the antagonised energy of Fidlar, Itz Namo exhibits a deft hand in weaving augmented instrumentals around razor-sharp hooks in the visceral confession of the humiliation that comes when you shoot your shot with someone way out of your league, only to be knocked back to reality. The track is a cathartic middle finger to rejection, and with any luck, it’ll be the anthem to blast in the ears of incels who sulk in frustration and lash out with contempt when it turns out feelings aren’t mutual.

Namo’s high-octane energy and raw delivery make the track an infectiously bouncy amalgamation of alt-pop punk chaos. Beneath the brash riffs and brimming aggression, there’s a deeper emotional core for anyone who has ever found themselves on the receiving end of romantic disappointment.

With ‘SCREAMING’, Itz Namo proves that his knack for blending personal confessions with high-energy punk is a goldmine for the genre. It’s only a matter of time before more people start tuning into the infectious chaos he’s bringing to the scene.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lauren Ash scorched the pop-punk sphere with her trailblazingly vindicating earworm, Pathological

Posted on 18 October 2024
Lauren Ash

The pop-punk Billboard chart-topper Lauren Ash has been trailblazing her way through the industry since her debut single; with her latest hit, Pathological, she started a fire that could rival the inferno Dante walked through.

Nailing the Y2K pop-punk aesthetic, Ash intravenously infused swathes of nostalgia in the release, which finds an exhilaratingly cerebral way to protest against people glamorising mental illness-derived idiosyncrasies. The unfuckwithably emboldening lyrics reach their peak with, “You think I’m sexy, but I’m broken… you think I’m passionate or just irrational, no baby, I’m pathological.”

Sonically, Ash fuses the scintillating indietronica motifs of Shiny Toy Guns, the demure seduction of Garbage and hints of No Doubt with a little bit of Avril Lavigne to heighten the choruses, synthesising a sonic signature that scorches its way through the assimilative mundanity of the pop-punk scene. Clearly, she’s not here to play, she’s here to reign supreme.

Pathological will be available to stream and purchase on all major platforms from October 18th. Find your preferred way to listen via Lauren Ash’s official website.

Connect with the artist via TikTok and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sleeping Through Breakfast brought comfort to the void in their alt-indie release, Black Hole

Posted on 24 September 2024

Rarely do indie folk and pop punk melodically intersect, but as proven by Sleeping Through Breakfast’s single ‘Black Hole’, which brings comfort to the void, soul-teasing sublimity transpires.

You’ll come for the convention-defying instrumentals, but you will stay for the stunningly distinct vocals, which use unique inflections to exhibit just how authentic this outfit is. With guitars that spill sepia tones in the same vein as Muzz, paired with sincerity-soaked vocals and artful embellishments, the duo make a mockery of middle-of-the-road artists with their semi-lucid, endlessly ascending motifs. It’s not just the uniqueness of the soundprint that will leave you aching for more; it’s how intensely the cosmic-hued melodies grip the heartstrings.

Founded in 2021, the alternative/art rock duo Zander Prokop and Joshua Kleiman has been orchestrating for the introspective dreamers with their already expansive discography. With their earlier releases, such as Pillowcase Studies and The A Hopeful Note EP, they set the bar high, but they always find new plateaus to aurally visit. Their latest endeavour, the People Without Faces EP, released on September 22nd, explores themes of death and the inevitable decay of the world while unravelling as a testament to the necessity of finding solace in the love that remains.

Safe to say, Sleeping Through Breakfast has carved out their own space in the alternative scene, and with ‘Black Hole,’ they attest they are here to stay. If they aren’t topping the charts with their Nada Surf-esque tenderness in a few years, we riot.

Black Hole was officially released on September 14; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Razor Hooks and Synth Strokes: Unreal’s ‘Dirty Blue’ Cuts Deep

Posted on 23 September 2024

Taken from the debut eponymous LP which hit the airwaves on September 11, the seminal single, Dirty Blue, is an undeniable attestation to how the Portland powerhouse Unreal isn’t just here to play, they’re here to rip the monotony from the contemporary music scene with their razor-sharp hooks and convention-defying sonic signature.

Pairing 80s synth lines with angular indie jangle pop guitar lines and the caustic timbre of emo-adjacent vox, Unreal lived up to their moniker with their potent, alchemic cocktail that few other artists would think to pour, let alone pull it off in such an anthemically infectious way.

Imagine a synthesis of the riled angst of Taking Back Sunday, the glittery synths of a-ha, and the guitar licks of the Replacements and you’ll get an idea of the sheer innovation that courses through Dirty Blue which transcends the usual try-hard aesthetics of genre-fusion; every element serves to add more depth to the high-octane currents of emotion that courses throughout the earworm.

Stream the debut LP from Unreal on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vanderga

Sticker – Making Mistakes: A Garage Grunge Anthem for the Fatally Fallible

Posted on 22 September 2024

Sticker’s debut single ‘Making Mistakes’ erupts as an explosive anthem for the perpetually remorseful and as a vindicating release for anyone haunted by the spectre of past missteps.

With its garage-grunge aesthetic sharply intersected by the electrifying surges of pop punk, the track from their debut EP, ‘Hello! My Name is Sticker’, cements the Nevada-based powerhouse as unreckonable evocateurs of caustic catharsis.

Formed in Las Vegas in 2019, Sticker, led by vocalist and guitarist Dennis Fija, alongside drummer Carlos Daniel Herrera and bassist Jacob Anthony Hennagir, the trio rapidly distinguished themselves in the Las Vegas circuit with a raw, fuzzy punk sound steeped in a plethora of influences. ‘Making Mistakes’ marries the nostalgic grit of Nirvana during their ‘Bleach’ era with the melodic poise of Smashing Pumpkins, layered with the contemporary edge of bands like Fidlar.

The track’s relentless energy and piercing lyrics provide a mirror to the soul, reflecting the tumult of self-criticism and the liberation found in acknowledging fallibility. It’s more than just music; it’s a frenzied, sonic purge of pent-up emotions, driven by dissonant chords, catchy melodies, and harsh vocals that challenge social norms and delve into the theme of unreciprocated emotions.

As the centrepiece of their EP, ‘Making Mistakes’ is the perfect introduction to Sticker’s gritty domain of rhythmic rebellion, proving that sometimes, the most profound reflections are found in the echoes of our errors.

Making Mistakes was officially released on September 8th; stream the single on Spotify now.

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