#pop punk

Pop Punk Haley Graves Finds Herself on Sophomore EP Over

Twenty-one-year-old Haley Graves, who self-defines as a Black Queer Pop Punk Artist, has found herself—but it's been a tumultuous journey. Adopted from birth, Graves, who is mixed race, grew up as one of the only non-white kids in a small, sheltered town in Maine—an upbringing that made it hard to...

Alexa Peters

Teenage Joans Resist Sweetness on Bristling Pop-Punk Debut Taste of Me

Joan of Arc? Joan As Police Woman? Joan Jett? Any of these Joans, and all of them, have the unrepentant, independent spirit that sustains the indie-punk vibe of Teenage Joans. Adelaide duo Tahlia Borg, 18, and Cahli Blakers, 20, have been making ‘90s-style garage punk-pop under the moniker since...

Cat Woods

Blake English Connects Gender and Body Horror In “Sad Girls Dance Party” Video

Blake English channels monsters of his past directly into his visuals. It also helps that he has a deep love for horror films. As far as the new clip for “Sad Girls Dance Party” goes, he incorporates his tenuous, very complicated relationship with his father as the emotional base while exploring...

Bee Scott

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PLAYING COLUMBUSThe Sidekicks Tease New LP With "Twin's Twist"

Weeks ago, I teared up while hearing Columbus poet Hanif Abdurraqib read an essay about a Columbus pop-punk band. That band was not The Sidekicks, but as I listen to The Sidekicks' latest single, “Twin’s Twist,” I can't help but recall the essay. I am stirred, settled memories of trauma, pain, joy,...

Kaiya Gordon

Charly Bliss - Press Photo by Jacqueline Harriet

ALBUM REVIEWCharly Bliss "Guppy"

They haven’t escaped comparisons to bands like Veruca Salt or Letters To Cleo, and they won’t here...

Mandy Brownholtz

ALBUM REVIEWSorority Noise "You're Not As _____ As You Think"

Hartford emo band Sorority Noise released their third full length record, You’re Not As _____ As You Think, this week. It’s so self-aware it’s like the Scream of emo records. It’s formulaic as far as pop punk records go, but the band almost points it out ironically, trying to hedge out a...

Mandy Brownholtz

ARTIST INTERVIEWBehind The Scenes With Thundera

I met with Thundera on January 19 at Smash Studios in Midtown, where they practice weekly. I got there a few minutes late and could hear through the door that they were in the middle of a song. I awkwardly stood outside, debating whether I should wait for the song to be over. Even muffled through...

Emily Daly

LIVE REVIEWLolo, The Griswolds, New Politics, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness @ Terminal 5

Any show at Terminal 5 is always a big one, so when I came to see the four-artist, co-headlined Wilderness Politics tour, I knew I was in for one hell of a party. First up was LOLO, a young Brooklyn native with a lot of soul. Getting on her knees with passion, it was clear she was having the time...

Ysabella Monton

ALBUM REVIEWBeach Slang "The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us"

A genre can sometimes be a useless, misleading way of explaining what an artist sounds like and allowing listeners to decide ahead of time whether they like them. It’s definitely not the best description to call Beach Slang’s The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, a straight ahead punk...

Emily Daly

ARTIST PROFILE20 Eyes

They are dancers, rockers and goof balls. Their music is melodious, meaningful and dynamic. You can’t stop moving at their shows, which are brilliantly entertaining. They are a band of brothers. They are 20 Eyes.

Adria Kelly

TRACK REVIEWFlashlights' "Failure"

Florida punk rockers Flashlights have just released their new track, "Failure," in anticipation of their upcoming album Bummer Summer, due out in late spring via Hard Rock Records. Singer/guitarist Terry Caudill's emotional vocals bring Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzara to mind as he rasps, "Don't...

Raquel Dalarossa

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ALBUM REVIEWSkaters, "Manhattan"

Here’s a band that can make The Strokes seem, once and for all, obsolete—which is saying something considering The Strokes were lauded as “vital” and “indispensable” back in their day. Consider Skaters the new “vital” rock band; in fact, there’s a lot of comparisons to be made between the two...

Raquel Dalarossa