10 Punk Songs That Will Make Your Week (curated by Dying Scene founder Dave Buck)

10 Punk Songs That Will Make Your Week (curated by Dying Scene founder Dave Buck)

Ever wonder what the folks who run Dying Scene have been listening to lately?  We’re going to pretend you said “yes” to that question and feature a curated playlist from a different DS editor each week with the intent of exposing you to some new kickass punk bands.  This week we’re kicking things off with Dying Scene founder and head honcho Dave Buck.

Discover some great new tunes, and find out what makes him tick by streaming Dave’s personal picks below.

1.  Ellesmere – “Intropolis”

Every great playlist needs a great intro song and “Intropolis”, the first song on Ellesmere’s debut EP “Bail City“, might be the best introductory song ever recorded for a melodic skate punk album.  Seriously.  Just listen to it!  It calls to mind NOFX’s “Punk In Drublic” but still manages to feel fresh and exciting.  After my first listen I knew I had to sign these guys to Dying Scene Records and to date its been the most downloaded release on the label.  There’s a reason for that.

2.  Some Nerve – “Held Hostage”

OK, yes, this is another Dying Scene Records band but I promise this isn’t a shameless promotion.  After every great slow build intro song there needs to follow a seriously kickass ripper of a track that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until you’ve destroyed every piece of furniture in your room and are laying panting in a pool of your own sweat and blood.  Some Nerve’s “Held Hostage” is exactly that kind of track and after probably 500 listens it still has that kind of effect on me.  Frankly, the whole album does.

3.  F.O.D. – “Dear Grace”

After a shredder like the last tune a true playlist maestro knows to bring it down just a notch to not only give the listener a breather but also to create enough of a change up in style to ensure the tracks on the playlist don’t run the risk of blending together.  “Dear Grace” is a particular favorite of mine off F.O.D.’s brand new release “Tricks Of The Trade” and I love its slow build intro that transitions nicely into a blistering, full tilt skate punk anthem.  The entire album is fantastic but its tracks like this that make a release feel more dynamic without losing its momentum.

4.  Sink The Bismark – “Dear Baltimore”

“Dear Baltimore” is the first track off Sink The Bismark’s album “Sine Metu” and in my opinion it is the epitome of a perfect punk rock anthem.  It’s got a great riff to kick things off, its fast as hell, and its got a great gang vocal chorus.  It’s one of those songs I discovered three years ago and have never once taken out of steady rotation on my iPod.

5.  Chimp Change – “No Tomorrow”

Chimp Change is maybe the most under appreciated band on Dying Scene Records.  They sort of flew under most people’s radar, perhaps mostly due to the fact that they broke up about a week before I released the album, but I still think their album “Type Zero Civilization” was one of the best skate punk albums of 2013.  I’ve always been a sucker for fast, ska-infused skate punk tracks and “No Tomorrow” is just such a track.  I also love the way it showcases dueling vocals between both singers.

6.  Parasite Diet – “Mr. Moon”

I always like it when there’s enough variation of styles in an album or playlist to make the individual tracks stand out from each other.  You have to be careful though because too big a leap in styles will throw off the whole experience.  I love pop-punk almost as much as I love skate punk and “Mr. Moon” off Parasite Diet’s recently released full-length “Lost In Time” is probably my favorite pop-punk song of the year.  I love the intro, the melodies, the harmonies and the chorus.  It’s a perfect package and was the first song I knew for sure that I wanted to include in this playlist.

7.  The Friday Prophets – “All The Roads”

Keeping the pop-punk thread going I decided to add “All The Roads” from The Friday Prophets’ latest album “Bits & Pieces“.  This album is one of those rare (for me, anyway) releases that I listen to all they way through without hitting the skip button on a single track.  These guys remind me a lot of early Green Day (back when they could still be unquestionably referred to as punk) but with more variety in their song writing.  “All The Roads” might be tied as my favorite track on “Bits & Pieces” with at least 3 other songs but I think its the most accessible for those who haven’t heard the band before.

8.  August Ruins – “Everyone Else”

August Ruins just put out their new album “Momentary Victory” and I’m pretty sure its going to end up somewhere on my top 10 albums of 2014 list.  “Everyone Else” is the opening track on the release and might have a dash of metal or hard rock influence in it but its indisputably punk rock through and through.  It’s an empowering song, the kind that makes you want to stand up and fight for something, if only you could figure out what that “something” was.

9.  A Dying Regime – “Boroughs”

“Boroughs” is probably my favorite track off A Dying Regime’s latest EP “Shuttles” although I could have easily added any song from the release to this playlist.  Love the guitars and the chunkiness of this track and while its a heavy hitting tune it does slow things down just a bit, getting us ready for the playlist closer.

10.  RMS Olympic – “Alas, That These Evil Days Should Be Mine”

The final song of any playlist is a very important one.  As a curator you owe the listener a sense of closure to the emotional journey you just led them on and that’s what your finale track is all about.  In the case of this playlist I thought a mellower, acoustic punk song was in order and I can’t think of a more worthy tune to close us out with than “Alas, That These Evil Days Should Be Mine” by RMS Olympic.  While this song is currently featured on RMS Olympic’s album “Old Reliable” it was originally released with a better, more raw sounding recording on Dying Scene’s “Too Punk To Folk” compilation back in 2012.  Years later this song still gives me goosebumps (literally!) every time I hear it.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published.