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Punk Rock

Tune into Rebels in Stereo’s riotous punk rock anthem, Lace of Steel

Posted on 17 June 2023
CoVault by Rebels in Stereo

‘Lace of Steel’ is the riotously hooky seminal single from Chicago’s premier pop-punk-influenced outfit, Rebels in Stereo. Taken from their EP, CoVault, the overdriven to the nth degree hit reels you in with the edged and tight anthemics, but it is the vignette weaved through the high-octane release that keeps you immersed.

With a similar narrative to Thrash Unreal by Against Me! any female-identifying outliers that are looking for resonance will get more than they have bargained for when they delve into the punk rock anthem, which gains momentum through the modernist melodic power metal licks and the songwriting chops that are as sharp as a butcher’s cleaver.

With a new LP in the pipeline, there’s little doubt that 2023 will be the year of Rebels in Stereo. It takes far more than a powerful set of pipes to become an arresting frontwoman; thankfully, Cassidy’s vocal range is as wide-spanning as her talents in weaving soul into her superlative harmonies.

Stream and purchase Lace of Steel by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pop-Punk trailblazer, Brooklyn Belton, unveiled the ultimate adversity aftercare anthem, Just Fine

Posted on 27 April 2023

Starting with an instant hook that sounds like it came straight out of the Bowling for Soup arsenal, the debut single, Just Fine, from the Ohio pop-punk trailblazer, Brooklyn Belton, effortlessly became one of our favourite alt-rock earworms of 2023 so far.

With an instrumental arrangement so tight it is practically corseted, Brooklyn Belton polished the punk rock genre with her anthemic slice of stellar songwriting, which won’t fail to leave you galvanised for the way the exhilarant guitars wrap around her lyrics that compel you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and deal with the cards of adversity your autonomy has dealt you.

When the chorus comes around, you’ll lose yourselves in the euphoric energy while simultaneously finding yourself in the candid introspection that perceptibly oozes from the wounds of a personal battle.

Just Fine hit the airwaves on April 14. Check it out on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stephen The Storyteller pulled a wild sonic card in his punk n roll hit, Missin On.

Posted on 11 April 2023

If you fused the roguish appeal of the Cramps with proto-punk scuzz and bluesy rock n roll riffs, the amalgam would be as raucously gritty as the standout single, Missin On, from Stephen the Storyteller’s album, Supragenre.

With his whiskey-soaked vocal lines pouring into the frenetically progressive pace of the authentic by-design hit, you’ll be shakin’ like Elvis by the time the chorus kicks around. He’s the complete antithesis of artists of the modern era who create around the confines of stereotype and genre; reminiscences aside, Stephen The Storyteller pulled a wild sonic card with this release that stays true to the organic nature of expression. The Doylestown artist, poet, and producer, may keep his sound design experimentally old school, but with his music videos, he’s embraced the future and allowed AI to take the metaphorical lead.

The AI-created music video for Missin On premiered on April 1; watch it on YouTube, and check out more of his content on his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Velvet Bethany’s ‘La Mirage’ Rocks with Rebellious Spirit

Posted on 20 March 2023

Velvet Bethany’s (Allison Mitchell) latest release, “La Mirage,” is a fiery punk track that showcases the raw and unfiltered spirit of rock and roll. With her driving guitar riffs and relentless drumbeat, Allison Mitchell channels the energy of punk legends like The Clash and The Ramones, while still managing to carve out her own unique sound.

Lyrically, “La Mirage” is a rallying cry for those who refuse to be held back by the status quo. Mitchell’s vocals drip with intensity as she proclaims, “I’m not living in a la mirage,” a bold statement of defiance against the pressures of conformity.

The instrumentation on “La Mirage” is nothing short of masterful. The guitars buzz with a relentless energy, while the bass and drums provide a rock-solid foundation for the song’s infectious melody. The result is a track that is both dynamic and catchy, with each element working in perfect harmony to create a truly unforgettable listening experience.

This tune is a tour de force of punk rock that will leave listeners hungry for more. With her electrifying guitar work and powerhouse vocals, Allison Mitchell proves that she is a force to be reckoned with in the world of rock and roll. Fans of punk and rock music alike will undoubtedly find something to love in this explosive new track from Velvet Bethany.

Chicago punk three-piece, Torch the Hive, delivered relatable hardcore rancour in their latest single, deku

Posted on 11 March 2023

The Chicago-hailing punk three-piece, Torch the Hive, is fresh from the release of their latest feat of relatable hardcore rancour, deku. Never ones to shy away from the facets of society that are like paint-stripper to sanity, Torch the Hive are staunch advocates of mental health awareness in an era which laces the atmosphere with off-kilter dejection.

The lyric, “just make it go away, I don’t want to feel constrained, I swear I’m not insane”, stands as an undeniable testament to the fact that if you’re not disillusioned at this point, you’re the flawed one for your inability to see the obscurity that is sending even the most resilient to the brink.

Sonically, deku leaves nothing to be desired. The jangly indie rock guitars in the intro lose their angular form when the grungy chorus kicks into full momentum, but the punk pioneers saved the best for their colossal breakdowns that hammer home the extent of frustrated friction. Torch the Hive have exactly what it takes to become the Fugazi or At the Drive-In. We can’t wait to hear where they take their sound next.

deku was officially released on February 24th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pharsalia defied physics in their pop-punk revamp, Gravity Killer

Posted on 26 February 2023

Here to prove that emo was anything but a phase is the Delaware-hailing pop-punk revampers, Pharsalia, with their latest physics-defying single, Gravity Killer.

The catchy heart-in-throat choruses have kept their original form, and there’s plenty of punch in the dynamically bouncy guitar riffs, which keep you palpitatingly sweet in the lead up to the euphoric chaos in the pit-worthy choruses. The 5-piece has made a name for itself in the local scene and beyond with its fan-first lyrical relatability and approachability. This track is only going to take their renown to the next level.

If any single has what it takes to tear your attention away from the new album material from Fall Out Boy it is this scintillatingly scorned anthem for the disenfranchised that is super-charged with earworm-y energy.

Gravity Killer hit the airwaves with the force of a hadron collider on January 27th. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The acrimony bells ring in Continental Lovers’ subversively sweet punk-rock ‘Wedding Song’

Posted on 23 February 2023

The UK’s trashiest punk-rock purveyors, Continental Lovers, dialled back on the scuzz in their latest subversively archetypal single, Wedding Song.

The change in direction has lost none of the impassioned volition that Continental Lovers have become renowned for since their relatively recent debut that has sent ricochets of raucous hype through the rock scene. Heartbreak never sounded so viscerally adoring. Nor has the recoil from love-hate whiplash resonated with such realism. Tom Petty would be proud.

The accordant ring of the guitars, contributed by Graham Jones (Haircut 100, Boys Wonder, Glen Matlock, is sweeter than any coil of silver or gold that can decorate your finger. Which is probably a good thing given the playfully machiavellian lyrical admission of theft of said symbolic token.

With producer Phil Booth (Sleaford Mods, Desperate Journalists, Hip Priests), elevating the single from the brashy punk-rock panache that Continental Lovers fans have been clamouring over since the fourpiece outfit started their ascent from the underground with euphonic organ tones, Wedding Song is the breakup song you never knew you needed.

Joe Maddox Said:

“Wedding Song is about quickly falling out of love with somebody and resenting their existence but still feeling that sense of loss and grief when a relationship ends. I guess we’ve all been there; it’s a cathartic process! I rarely write songs about real life, and this is no exception. I just wanted to write a bitter breakup song.”

Stream Wedding Song on Bandcamp & Spotify.

Follow Continental Lovers on Facebook & Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Urban Cafe Crew launched a riotous pop-rock attack on society’s most blindly entitled generation with ‘Hey There Boomer, It’s Not OK’

Posted on 19 January 2023

Australia’s wittiest pop-rock outfit Urban Cafe Crew launched a riotous attack on the generation that set every subsequent one up for failure with their latest single, Hey There Boomer, It’s Not OK.

Every millennial and Gen Z can derive vindicating catharsis from the playfully scathing track that finds an antagonistically hooky way of relaying every boomer sin that has left the earth scorched and financial security out of reach for the majority.

But hey, the boomers had it the worst, right? Their determination to make the world worse for their offspring is warranted, right? They have a right to see any signs of social progression and drag it back with their knuckles that have scarcely been lifted off the floor since 1989, right?

Hey There Boomer, It’s Not OK was officially released on January 14th; check it out on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Knottie Boys released the ultimate punk-rock chagin soundtrack with ‘Sadsquatch’

Posted on 16 January 2023

Taken from their garagey punk-rock EP, A Face Fulla Dirt, the standout single, Sadsquatch, from The Knottie Boys is a melodically hook-rife exposition of reclaimed shame. By allowing the chagrin-deep lyrics to unravel as a series of confessions rooted in quirky indignity, Sadsquatch projects intimate disclosures in the same breath as lamenting about public knowledge of them.

It was an ingeniously bold move from the New York-hailing fourpiece, who have released two EPs and a studio album since forming in 2019. By pulling influence from CBGB headliners to folk-punk to the percussive fills of marching bands to the acts who made the 2007 Warped Tour infamous, the bitterly sweet powerhouse has carved out a niche and filled it to precision.

If Neutral Milk Hotel formed as a punk-rock outfit, they’d boast the same appeal as The Knottie Boys, who have exactly what it takes to be one of the premier NYC punk bands in 2023. Watch this space before they pour ennuitic resonance into it.

A Face Fulla Dirt is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK Trio The Horizons Brought in a New Wave of Punk with ‘Just Friends.’

Posted on 4 January 2023

The Plymouth UK indie punk-rock trio, The Horizons, single-handedly brought in a new wave of punk with their latest hit, Just Friends. The sweeping choruses are as animating as Reel Big Fish’s cover of Take On Me, while nuances of 90s pop-punk bite away in the same vein as The Offspring’s Hit That in the backbeat. The frenzied grungy instrumentals are dusted with a sugar-coated post-punk snarl that immediately arrests you in the intro before they bring in the silky pop harmonies. Some bands need an entire LP or discography to establish their dynamism, not The Horizons.

Once the fear subsided that this wasn’t an incel-y track bemoaning the friend zone, the euphoria in the upbeat indie punk hit quickly became infectious. The hit becomes infinitely sweeter when you register the self-awareness that allows them to traverse around commitment issues while pertaining to a roguishly modern brand of romanticism.

Just Friends. was officially released on December 28th. Check it out on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast