Adam Schlesinger was a poet laureate of pure pop music. There was never a melody too bright, a lyrical conceit too playfully dumb, or a vibe full of radiation that he would shy away from. His sudden passing from COVID-19 means one of the brightest stars in the power-pop universe has suddenly dimmed.
Green Day's Father of All is too short, superficial, and samey to have any lasting impact.
A collection of ragged rehearsal recordings, out-takes, and alternate versions that is actually worth the price of admission? The Revillos have pulled it off.
Dune Rats are, without a doubt, a rebel-rousing bunch whose call-outs, curse-outs, and amateurish stunts have earned them mass appeal with an audience just as eager to stick it to the man alongside them.
This week features smart indie rock from Sea Girls, kaleidoscopic house from Redfield, fizzing indie pop-punk from Peaness, neo-soul-tinged hip-hop from Natty Wylah, and a full-on, monolithic rocker from False Heads.
On Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, James Alex's (Beach Slang) homage to his heroes sounds exhausted.
Like most of the world right now, the members of Comet Gain seem to have a knot in their stomach that they're trying to break loose. As such, they've created their most punk effort yet with Fireraisers Forever!
Pop-punk's Get Married recently released Songs For the Sleepless, and the video for "Adam West" puts the band's sturdy blue-collar punk sound on full display.
Love songs don't have to be sad or overly sentimental. Sometimes they can make their case and be clear-eyed about it as pop-punk's Donaher prove on "Before Anyone Else".
Hull, UK punk rockers, LIFE offer stripped down sound and creative arrangements that make A Picture of Good Health a compelling second album.
Despite being compared to bands from the '90s, Dude York prove they can carry the indie torch of Generation X, but with their own unique and updated sound.
On "I Want U 2 Call", former folkie turned rocker Talay offers up a slice of visceral power pop to confront the emotions of being ghosted and the travails of modern dating life.
Power pop bands Tiny Stills and Odd Robot cover each other's songs, offer up new, original material on upcoming set. And, yep, there are kittens involved.
Punk and pop energy collide in the new infectious single "Leeches" from New Jersey duo 18th & Addison.
Bleached's Don't You Think You've Had Enough? is a summer record with big sing-along power pop songs that deliver.
Taking Back Sunday continue to celebrate 20 years together throughout 2019 with their recent compilation, Twenty, tour dates stretching into autumn, and a video series about each of their albums.
Otoboke Beaver's songs run the punk gamut from raging hardcore to bouncy pop-punk and hit most of the points in between on Itekoma Hits.
Seattle's Tacocat returns with This Mess Is a Place, a stellar new album in which the band confronts existential crisis and embraces widescreen guitar-based pop.
Making music doesn't mean you have to grow up and growing up doesn't mean you have to stop making music. Punk outfit the Dollyrots remind us of this with their latest single "Everything".
Morbid Stuff is the sound of Vancouver-based band PUP forging rousing, anthemic punk from the most jagged rocks mined from the depths of frontman Stefan Babcock's psyche.
If you can tell the difference between indie rock, power pop, and pop punk you will likely enjoy No Win's Downey.
Recovery, rebuilding, reclaiming and the fight for personal independence at the core of the energetic new single "Cut the Rope" from Bay Area quartet, the Happys.
Bay Area political punk band, SWMRS talk about changing their name, recording in conference rooms, and committing to social justice as a rock band.
This week we have fizzing, pop-punk from Brand New Friend, candid indie from Leisure Society, '80s new wave-influenced Guest Singer, affecting indie pop from Dancing on Tables, and spiky indie from FEET.
Calva Louise's Rhinoceros is an album filled to the brim with barely contained, charging pop-punk songs replete with fizzing melodies that snake their way under your skin.
Radar State features members of the Get Up Kids, the Anniversary, and the Architects. Their new album, Strays, is out now and new tour begins 24 January.
Although the Buzzcocks were a singles band, their overlooked second album, Love Bites (1978), is still a solid effort, and it sounds better than ever on this reissue.
Bought to Rot moves Laura Jane Grace away from the overt politicality and social consciousness evident on previous releases to focus on the personal and autobiographical.
Josh Caterer of Smoking Popes talks with PopMatters about musical and spiritual experiences, and reflections about the legendary Judy Garland, who inspired their new album Into the Agony.
In this edition we have multi-layered, electronic music from Elder Island, lo-fi, infectious indie from Childcare, stunning indie from Eliza Shaddad, kinetic bubblegum punk from Calva Louise, and the slow-burning new single from Cal Raasay.
If rock music is going to have a renaissance, then the Dirty Nil have shown that they are ready for the those first, all important, recovery breaths.
Alkaline Trio diehards will find themselves, by turns, nostalgic for what came before and thrilled by what they hear now on Is This Thing Cursed?
In this edition we have swaggering rock 'n' roll from Sisteray, shadowy trip hop from Alpines, classy contemporary pop from RuthAnne, intricate ambient techno from Inland, and life-affirming pop-punk from the Run Up.
Toronto punk band Excuses Excuses' new EP Catch Me If You Can packs a punch both musically and lyrically.
The Split Seconds channel their experiences into a tough, street savvy mix of the crisp, melodic punk power of the Buzzcocks, the working class spirit of Stiff Little Fingers and the activism of the Clash.
Caught in the thick of things with punk rock's the Longshot, I had more fun than at any show in recent memory.
Pioneering trans artist Lenny Zenith reminds listeners that it's about more than "a little surgery and a pronoun change" on "Suddenly Someone".
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