Oh hickety heck, the Universe sure has blessed me with its musical bounty in this past month or so. With new music left, right and centre, I have been feeling positively bamboozled (in the very best way) learning lyrics and melodies. Most of the releases I'm mentioning are in the pop punk vein but there are a few ~wild cards~ from other artists I enjoy. Ahem, allow me to present to you just a small selection of some of my favourite releases from September and October:
FULL-LENGTH ALBUMS
Shapeshifter - Knuckle Puck
I love that this album isn't as upbeat as some of its pop punk counterparts. It's emotional and dark and raw and not as hopeful as the pop punk we're often exposed to, becoming almost desperate, which makes me like it even more. I've mentioned on my blog before how much I love words, and I really appreciate how Knuckle Puck use interesting words in their lyrics that force you to use your brain a little to really understand what they're trying to say.
Great Heights & Nosedives - ROAM
ROAM seem to have settled into their own sound with this album and it's really cool to see them shine - their take on pop punk is bright and almost deliriously uptempo, with no veneer of pretension. It's simple and easy and always fun. I cannot wait to get #boppy to this album when they play it at their London show in December.
Vacation - Seaway
I can't help but think Seaway should've released this a few months ago, because this is a summer album at its finest, perhaps rivalling only Broadside's Paradise for "most summery album of 2017". I mean, the album's called "Vacation", there's a track called "Lula on the Beach" - it's all very much based on the theme of summer. The hooks are in abundance, it feels lighthearted (even if lyrically this isn't always the case) and overall is just some up-tempo, fun, easy listening that keeps you in a good mood.
EPs
Sidewinder - Stand Atlantic
When I heard Coffee At Midnight for the first time a few months ago I knew I'd like Stand Atlantic's upcoming releases, and I wasn't wrong. This band is pretty new on the scene but I'm really excited to see where they go - they feel at once both familiar and fresh and I think they'll fit perfectly into this little music community we have going on. I love Bonnie Fraser's voice, and any time a good female-fronted band makes its way onto the scene I find myself desperate for them to do well. Can I say "the scene" any more times? Probably.
chapter three: yellow - Bea Miller
Let me get this started by saying that Bea Miller has such a cool voice; I don't think anyone sounds like her right now. Over the past year she's been releasing EPs based on different colours, and "chapter three" is a perfect example of smooth, velvety pop. While I have nothing in particular against synth-y, electronic-y pop, it's nice to hear songs without it.
SINGLES
Does It Feel Like Falling - Alex Aiono feat. Trinidad Cardona
I don't know what it is about Alex Aiono that makes me listen to music that otherwise I wouldn't really care for (who am I kidding, I know exactly what it is) (it's his nice jawline) (I'm really helping that gross stereotype that girls only listen to music if the lead singer is attractive, aren't I?) but I am a big fan of this song. It's the kind of song I would want to hear in a club, because I can dance and sing along and get gr00vy and not just bop my head to the beep-beep-boop music I usually hear in such establishments.
Stay Ignorant - Don Broco
I've been loving all the singles that Don Broco have released this year, but as this is the most recent I thought I'd talk about it here. What I find most interesting about Broco is their complete disregard for genre; what are they? Pop? Post-hardcore? Alt-rock? Does it even matter? They never fail to bring out BIG TUNES, replete with cheeky lyrics, English-isms a'plenty, obnoxious riffs and unnecessary (JK, never unnecessary) breakdowns, and Stay Ignorant is just peak Don Broco in that regard.
All My Friends - Hoodie Allen feat. State Champs
I am a sucker for anything that features Derek DiScanio's voice (I think his is one of the best in pop punk, don't try to fight me on it), so this song is great for me. I've never really listened to much of Hoodie Allen's stuff as I'm not generally a massive fan of rap, but this track is super chilled and I've been enjoying it more than I expected.
Blonde - Waterparks
This track is a late addition to my list as it was released today, but I knew it deserved a spot on my list. Waterparks' sound is straight-up jubilant, and this song matches the exuberance of the tracks on Double Dare but beneath the melody the lyrics are much darker than you might expect. It features Awsten Knight's bouncing vocals amidst crashing drums and guitars, and I can only imagine how much fun it'll be for them to play (and for me to hear) live.
GIGS
I attended a few gigs in September and thought I'd give them a brief mention here. On the 15th September I saw The Maine (also known as The Best Band On This Planet That Doesn't Deserve Them) at KOKO, which was, of course, ridiculously fun. I cannot leave a The Maine show without a smile on my face (and a new piece of merch). On the 22nd September I saw Trash Boat, supported by Homebound and Broadside at The Underworld in Camden. I was really excited to hear new Broadside songs and I wasn't disappointed; hopefully sometimes soon I'll get to attend a headline show of theirs. A few days later on the 28th I saw Waterparks at the same venue, and they gave me the high energy and fun I knew to expect after having seen them at past shows. Awsten's onstage chats are possibly almost as entertaining as the performance itself; he's such a funny frontman. Finally, on the 30th (after a ticket last-minute) I saw Mayday Parade at the O2 Forum Kentish Town (one of my favourite venues) for their A Lesson In Romantics ten-year anniversary tour, with support from With Confidence and All Get Out. Gigs will never fail to keep me uplifted, and this run of shows was no different. Live music is just, y'know, the best.
MISCELLANEOUS
I recently stumbled upon the DICE app and it definitely warrants a mention on this list. Simply put, DICE tries to make ticket-buying an easy, fast and simple experience, while simultaneously removing ticket touts from the equation. So far I've purchased ROAM and As It Is tickets through the app, and it was almost too easy. It's also really easy to send a ticket over to a friend if you've bought one on their behalf. Oh, and I'm a cheapskate, and the app doesn't add booking fees, so that's another big reason I like it.
I am defs gonna do a round-up at the end of the year of all my favourite musical releases (in order, if I can make some decisions) so expect that in a couple of months. I'd love to know if you've been enjoying any of this music too, or if you have any recommendations for me - I'm always open to trying new stuff.
See you next time!
Georgia
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