DS Album Review: The Bouncing Souls – “Ten Stories High”

Dropping the needle on a new Bouncing Souls record is like feeling the warm embrace of an old friend. That’s especially true with the New Jersey punk vets’ latest LP Ten Stories High. The album welcomes you in with open arms, as frontman Greg Attonito delivers the opening lines to the uplifting title track: “Ten […]

Dropping the needle on a new Bouncing Souls record is like feeling the warm embrace of an old friend. That’s especially true with the New Jersey punk vets’ latest LP Ten Stories High. The album welcomes you in with open arms, as frontman Greg Attonito delivers the opening lines to the uplifting title track: “Ten stories high… Words in the sky… Every day we live to grow… Life is all we really own… Ten stories high”. This is as good an introduction as any in the Souls’ expansive discography, going toe-to-toe with fan favorites like “That Song” and “Apartment 5F“.

Without hesitation, the band kicks things up a notch with “Back to Better” and “Another Night In Denver”, two blazing fast punk anthems that sound like they could have been lifted straight out of a classic Souls record. Bryan Kienlen continues to cement his legacy as one of punk rock’s all time great bassists, delivering an onslaught of his signature bouncy, rumbling basslines. “True Believer Radio” provides a healthy dose of nostalgia, calling back to perhaps the band’s most iconic song, while still having what it takes to stand on its own as a modern classic. I can definitely see this one becoming a fixture in the Souls’ live setlists for years to come.

And because it wouldn’t be a Bouncing Souls album without a few good love songs, “Shannon’s Song” and “Andy and Jackie” mark the halfway point of the record. There’s no debating that these Jersey boys are among the best in the game when it comes to writing sappy love songs, but if I had to pick favorites on Ten Stories High, these more mid-tempo tracks would likely find themselves on the chopping block. “Shannon’s Song” has a bit of a “Simple Man” feel at times and is definitely the more high energy of the two songs.

Track #7 “Vin and Casey” rights the ship and picks up the pace once again. Greg says this song was inspired by the heartbreaking story a fan told him about their friends, Vin and Casey: “They took them to their first show, which we were playing, but shortly after that both of them actually passed away. And ever since then they’ve been going to Bouncing Souls shows to sort of keep that connection. It was just this really tragic but also beautiful story.” 7Seconds frontman Kevin Seconds provides vocals on the song’s second verse, and overall, this is an expectedly heartfelt tribute from a band that’s always made it a point to honor their fans.

The album marches forward with another feel-good track in “Magnus Air Organ”, before rolling into the hard-charging “To Be Human”. Both songs sport the big choruses the Souls are known for, but there’s a stark contrast in their tonality. The latter has an almost Hard Rock-like feel, and while it’s a little different from the band’s standard fare, I think they pull it off pretty damn well.

Rounding out Ten Stories High is “Higher Ground”. This is pure, unadulterated, classic Bouncing Souls. Listening to this song when it was premiered as one of the album’s first two singles took me back in time to the first time I heard the Souls. This track instantly clicked with me, and as cliché as it may sound, blasting “Higher Ground” on my morning commute on a gloomy Florida morning brought more than a few tears to my eye. The title track got me amped on this record, but this song was what really sold me on Ten Stories High. Everything from Greg’s tender delivery of the sentimental lyrics to The Pete’s one-note guitar lead during the first verse is quintessential Bouncing Souls. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting conclusion to this album.

The Bouncing Souls are back, folks! This is their best record in 20 years.

I give Ten Stories High 4.5/5 Stars

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DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Operation Ivy tribute, The Vandals, Bouncing Souls & more)

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold […]

Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

We’re starting off this week’s column with a huuuuuge Operation Ivy tribute comp from Lavasocks Records and Sell The Heart Records. The Double LP titled Mooorree Than Just Another Comp features 33 Op Ivy covers from bands like The Chinkees, Catbite, Flying Racoon Suit & more. There are a bunch of color variants available here and here.

Earlier this week, your friends at Dying Scene hosted the exclusive premiere of a new song by North Carolina’s Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves. “Oh Catalonia” comes from the band’s upcoming album cursecursecurse, due out April 7th on A-F Records and Gunner Records. Check out the single below and pre-order the record here.

Belgian punks The Priceduifkes‘ new self-titled LP compiles 21 tracks from a bunch of previously released EPs and it actually flows pretty well as a full-length album. If you’ve never heard of these guys, this record is a perfect introduction to their high octane brand of pop-punk. Listen below and grab it on vinyl here (US) or here (EU).

Fat Wreck Chords imprint Bottles To The Ground put out a few new releases this week, the first of which is Bottle Music for Broken People. This sampler comp features a brand new track from the label’s newest signing Fishbone, along with songs by Codefendants, The Meffs & more. Check out the Fishbone single below and grab the LP here.

Bottles To The Ground’s other release comes from The Meffs. The Essex, UK two piece’s new 10″ EP Broken Britain Pt. 2 was produced by Frank Turner. Check out the music video for one of the tracks below and grab the wax here (US) or here (UK exclusive variant).

Our friends at Dead Broke Rekerds have issued a second pressing of their Fifteen – The Choice of a New Generation reissue. There are 257 copies on black vinyl, and 100 of each color variant. Head over to their webstore to grab your copy of this East Bay punk classic.

Listen up, true believers! The Bouncing SoulsAnchors Aweigh turns 20 this year and to mark the occasion, it’s back in print on colored wax! 500 copies on “toxic green” colored wax, to be specific. Get it here.

The VandalsHollywood Potato Chip is getting a new pressing on blue/white haze colored vinyl. I’ve seen this available to pre-order pretty much everywhere, but Amazon‘s probably the cheapest option with free Prime shipping. Or if you’re really frugal and don’t give a shit about color variants, the black LP is also on sale for $16 on Amazon.

RECORD OF THE WEEK

It’s been a while since we featured a Record of the Week(!) on the Record Radar, but what better way to end the streak than with a killer new record from a Canadian pop-punk band? Hellaphant‘s debut LP Crumble and Rise caught me by surprise in the best way possible. Listen below and grab it on vinyl here (shipping to the US is very reasonably priced!). And don’t forget to tell ’em your pals at Dying Scene sent ya!

That’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

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DS News: Bouncing Souls release new single “Shannon’s Song”

New Jersey punk veterans The Bouncing Souls are streaming another track from their highly anticipated new album Ten Stories High. Check out the latest single “Shannon’s Song” below. Stay tuned for Dying Scene’s review of Ten Stories High, releasing March 24th on Pure Noise Records. Pre-order the record here and catch the Souls on tour with bands […]

New Jersey punk veterans The Bouncing Souls are streaming another track from their highly anticipated new album Ten Stories High. Check out the latest single “Shannon’s Song” below.

Stay tuned for Dying Scene’s review of Ten Stories High, releasing March 24th on Pure Noise Records. Pre-order the record here and catch the Souls on tour with bands like Anti-FlagSamiamSwingin’ Utters, and A Wilhelm Scream throughout 2023.

New Releases

Thirdface 11-01-2024
“Ministerial Cafeteria”
Diablogato 11-01-2024
“Snake Oil Salvation”
Coffin Salesman 11-01-2024
“Dream Of Fire”

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DS Staff Picks: Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things of January, 2023 (Presented by Punk Rock Radar)

Hello friends, and welcome to this shiny new column where I, Dylan (otherwise known as Screeching Bottlerocket), tell you what new full-length albums, EPs, singles, and miscellaneous other punk-related news snippets I enjoyed the most this month. 2023 is off to a pretty strong start for punk rock, if you ask me. There’s already been […]

Hello friends, and welcome to this shiny new column where I, Dylan (otherwise known as Screeching Bottlerocket), tell you what new full-length albums, EPs, singles, and miscellaneous other punk-related news snippets I enjoyed the most this month. 2023 is off to a pretty strong start for punk rock, if you ask me. There’s already been a steady stream of announcements coming from members of the old guard like NOFX, the Bouncing Souls, and Less Than Jake; a lot of exciting newer bands are making their mark as well. Let’s talk about it!

For those who prefer to watch a video instead of reading, I’ll also be joining my friends at Punk Rock Radar to talk about the best new releases every month. If you like discovering awesome new punk bands as much as I do, I highly recommend following them on Instagram, checking out their Upcoming Release Calendar, and subscribing on YouTube.

Here’s the video for January:

COLORSFADE
Built From The Wreckage

The first album of 2023 to earn the distinguished honor of receiving a review by me is Quebec skate punk band Colorsfade‘s new LP Built From The Wreckage. This album is all killer, no filler in the most literal sense. Extremely heavy favorite for my end of year Top 10 list.

MARK MURPHY & THE MEDS
Monochrome

Liverpool, UK’s Mark Murphy & The Meds released their sophomore album Monochrome and it is quite enjoyable. This is a straight up old school pop-punk record that reminds me quite a bit of One Man Army. Highly recommended listening:

ONE OF US
Self-Titled

What the fuck’s going on up there in Canada? We’re only a month into the year and America’s Hat has put out two absolutely bangin’ skate punk albums. Winnipeg’s One of Us make a massive statement with their self-titled debut LP. No exaggeration, I think this is one of the best first albums I’ve ever heard.

STANIS
Living Has Consequences

Stanis is a very good band from Italy with a kinda Satanic Surfers / No Use For A Name hybrid sound. Their new EP is excellent; fast, melodic, great guitars, and killer drums. You should listen to it!

OLD SCARS
Back to the Beginning

These guys kinda remind me of my fellow Floridians Against All Authority, except they don’t play ska… and they’re not from Florida. Anyway, Old Scars hail from Virginia Beach and their new 7-song EP Back to the Beginning is pretty fuckin’ good. Check it out if you like AAA or early Rancid:

BOUNCING SOULS
“Ten Stories High” / “Higher Ground”

My award 🏆 for Best Single of January goes to none other than the Bouncing Souls. The first two songs from Ten Stories High got me extremely hyped for the record. These tracks harken back to the Souls’ Anchors Aweigh era sound with big choruses and infectious hooks. I can’t wait til Ten Stories High releases in March and I can finally share my review with you fine people. Spoiler alert: the whole god damn album is just as amazing as these two songs.

DROPCASE

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it again, and again, and again. One of my favorite things about my involvement with Dying Scene has always been discovering new bands. My favorite discovery this month was Orange County, CA ska band Dropcase. These up-and-comers fuse ska with Turnstile-ish hardcore and it works really well. Check out their latest single “Accelerated” below, and lookout for their debut album coming at some undetermined point in the future.

LESS THAN JAKE RECORDING

Anyone who knows me knows Less Than Jake is my favorite band. Imagine my excitement when I found out they were in the studio recording something. They haven’t announced plans for a new full-length album, but their new vlog series “This Week in Less Than Jake” does reveal it is new music they’re working on, so that’s pretty cool:

On an unrelated note, 2023 also marks the 25th Anniversary of Hello Rockview‘s release. Considering Losing Streak got a 25th Anniversary vinyl reissue in 2021, I think it’s safe to expect Rockview will get the same treatment this year – so that’s something else my fellow LTJ enjoyers have to look forward to.

NOFX ANNOUNCES FIRST US SHOWS ON FINAL TOUR

NOFX announced the first round of US dates on their Final Tour. As far as I’m concerned, the coolest part of this news is that St. Pete, FL made the cut! They’ll be playing different albums in each city. My stop gets So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean & The Decline. Fuck yeah! Fellow Tampa Bay residents: I’ll see you at Vinoy Park in September. This should have a fun old school Warped Tour kinda feel (read: a bunch of old punx collapsing from heat exhaustion because a bottle of water costs $10).

STRUNG OUT WORKING ON NEW ALBUM

SoCal punk legends Strung Out are back in the lab working on LP # 10. I wasn’t the biggest fan of their last record, but I’m very anxious for what’s in store. Jason also has a new album coming soon from his side project Jason Cruz and Howl; we hosted the exclusive premiere for “Good Hands” music video so you should check that out.

AWESOME NEW “BAND”: DEAD ALRIGHT

Montreal’s Dead Alright is a brand new one-man skate punk band. The project is the brainchild of Brand New Lungs singer Louis-Charles Berthiaum. He already released two singles this month (both are great), and he’s going to continue to put out a steady stream of songs until a full-length album is completed and ready for release on Thousand Islands Records. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Dead Alright! For now, I recommend checking the first two singles out:

I also recently joined my friends at Punk Rock Radar to talk at greater length about some of the biggest new punk albums that are slated to release in 2023. We cover the Bouncing Souls, MxPx, Frenzal Rhomb, Diesel Boy, Strung Out, etc. and rank our excitement for each record on a scale of 1 to 10. Be sure to check that out (I can think of worse ways to kill 30 minutes 😉):

That concludes this first installment of the column. Thanks for checking it out! Hopefully you learned something new that enriched your life. Keep your eyes glued to Dying Scene for all things punk rock (check out our New Releases section! I’m trying to keep that stocked with cool new shit all the time), and join me again next month for the February edition of Dylan’s Favorite Punk Albums, EPs & Things.

Here’s a Spotify playlist with songs from most of the releases we talked about:

  1. This is awesome. Thank you.

    • Thanks for checking it out ❤️

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DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (Bouncing Souls, Useless ID, Giant Eagles & more)

Greetings, fellow degenerates! Welcome to the latest installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. There was a lot of cool shit […]

Greetings, fellow degenerates! Welcome to the latest installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. There was a lot of cool shit announced this week and this is one of the biggest Record Radars yet! So kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

Let’s start with that new Bouncing Souls record, shall we? New Jersey’s favorite sons rolled out the red carpet for their new album Ten Stories High, releasing two killer singles and a gargantuan number of colored vinyl variants. Just look at all those fuckin’ things! Some of these sold out already; this page links to all the places you can get each variant.

I’ve been very vocal about my love of Dutch pop-punk band Giant Eagles 🦅. Their first two records are some of the best pop-punk albums of the last 10~ years as far as I’m concerned. Both of these LPs have been out of print for a hot second, but they’ve just been repressed! Get Giant Egos on red vinyl here and Second Landing on clear colored wax here. If you’re in Europe, Shield Recordings has you covered.

In our last Record Radar of 2022, we brought you the news that hardcore legends 7Seconds were reissuing their 1985 LP Walk Together, Rock Together. Trust Records has now officially announced the reissue as well as some more color variants. Get it on yellow w/ black splatter colored vinyl here. Or, if you’re not a variant nerd like me, just buy the LP from Amazon and save a few bucks. Can’t be free Prime shipping, baby! All hail Bezos.

Here’s another one from Trust Records. I came across this while looking at the new 7Seconds reissue on their website… not 100% sure if it’s new, but I couldn’t find anything about a pink/white pressing of the Circle JerksGroup Sex on Discogs or anywhere else. So I’m gonna assume this is a new variant of the 40th Anniversary reissue Trust did a few years ago. Grab a copy here.

The Loved Ones frontman Dave Hause announced a new solo record earlier this week. It’s called Drive It Like It’s Stolen; check out the first single below. There are two color variants: the pretty one in the picture is limited to 500 copies, the other one is on plain jane blue wax (not sure how many of those are being pressed). Pre-order here.

Two new releases from Rad Girlfriend Records: First up is a brand new self-titled LP from Wrong Life! If you were a fan of frontman Fraser’s old band The Murderburgers, you will like this band (I know I do 🙂). Check out the first single “Internal Bleeding” below and pre-order the record here (US) or here (UK).

Rad Girlfriend’s other new release comes from Chicago’s Airstream Futures. Their new album Armer L’Harmonie is due out February 10th. Check out the first single “Bury Mary” below and pre-order the LP here.

Our friends at People of Punk Rock Records are always churning out killer reissues. Sometimes they put out shit from bands I haven’t even heard of! Quebec skate punks Xlarge are one of those bands, but I’m listening to these guys for the first time right now and they kick fuckin’ ass! If you like 90’s skate punk, I highly recommend checking out Xlarge. POPR is releasing the band’s two records on vinyl for the very first time, and you can get them here.

Here’s something that was literally announced as I was writing the Record Radar: It’s a brand new live record from Useless ID! The 28-song album titled Live In Tel Aviv was recorded at The Barby in Tel Aviv, Israel on August 20th, 2019. There are three variants of this Double LP, limited to 100 copies each. Pre-order here.

Last but not least (somebody’s always gotta be last, right?) is a brand new release from our friends at Punk Rock Radar! They’ve teamed up with Cat’s Claw and White Russian Records to co-release Dutch skate punk band Toska Fall‘s new record A Little Advice on red colored vinyl. Listen to a few tracks below and pre-order the LP here.

And that’s all, folks! Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs. See ya next week!

Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!

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DS News: Bouncing Souls announce new album “Ten Stories High”, stream two tracks

New Jersey punk veterans the Bouncing Souls have announced their new album Ten Stories High, due out March 24th, 2023 on Pure Noise Records. Check out two songs from the album below and pre-order it here. The Souls will be touring in support of Ten Stories High throughout the year with Anti-Flag, Samiam, Swingin’ Utters, […]

New Jersey punk veterans the Bouncing Souls have announced their new album Ten Stories High, due out March 24th, 2023 on Pure Noise Records.

Check out two songs from the album below and pre-order it here.

The Souls will be touring in support of Ten Stories High throughout the year with Anti-Flag, Samiam, Swingin’ Utters, A Wilhelm Scream, and many others. All currently announced tour dates can also be found below.

Ten Stories High tracklist:

  1. Ten Stories High
  2. Back To Better
  3. Kenver
  4. True Believer Radio
  5. Shannon’s Song
  6. Andy And Jackie
  7. Vin And Casey
  8. Magnus Air Organ
  9. To Be Human
  10. Higher Ground

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DS News: Bouncing Souls to release new album in March, 2023

New Jersey punk legends the Bouncing Souls have announced they will be releasing a new record in March, 2023. This will be the band’s 12th studio album, following 2020’s Volume 2. If you plan on attending any of the Souls’ shows in the tri-state area this weekend, you’ll be among the first to hear some […]

New Jersey punk legends the Bouncing Souls have announced they will be releasing a new record in March, 2023. This will be the band’s 12th studio album, following 2020’s Volume 2.

If you plan on attending any of the Souls’ shows in the tri-state area this weekend, you’ll be among the first to hear some of the new songs. Check out the tour dates below and stay tuned for more info on the next Bouncing Souls record.

Tour Dates:

12/8/22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made
12/9/22 – Garwood, NJ @ Crossroads
12/10/22 – Garwood, NJ @ Crossroads
12/11 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
12/30/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
12/31/22 – Denver, CO @ Summit

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Dying Scene’s 2022 World Cup Playlist

A World Cup for the ages? How about a punk rock playlist presented by Dying Scene to help get your blood pumping for this year’s World Cup! Hometown anthems, tracks about kicking the shit out of the competition, and songs just simply about futbol and unity. Maybe you’ll recognize a few names on this list, […]

A World Cup for the ages? How about a punk rock playlist presented by Dying Scene to help get your blood pumping for this year’s World Cup! Hometown anthems, tracks about kicking the shit out of the competition, and songs just simply about futbol and unity. Maybe you’ll recognize a few names on this list, but most likely you’ll find yourself questioning why you’ve never delved into the realm of futbol-themed punk rock.

Keep a close eye on this playlist because new tracks will continue to be added throughout the tournament. Thanks and may the soccer gods grace your team with victory!!


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Ten Underrated Punk Bands You Need to Check Out Right Now

Most people have a handful of bands and records that they keep in regular rotation; some might call them “favorites”. But there is a world of possibilities out there, my friends! Sure, it’s convenient to stick with what you know and not venture too far off the beaten path, but let’s be honest, that shit […]

Most people have a handful of bands and records that they keep in regular rotation; some might call them “favorites”. But there is a world of possibilities out there, my friends! Sure, it’s convenient to stick with what you know and not venture too far off the beaten path, but let’s be honest, that shit gets boring! To me punk rock has always been about discovering exciting new bands. Variety is the spice of life! Anyway, enough chit chat, these are some really good bands that deserve your attention. Give them a shot – I think you’ll like what you hear.


THE LEMONAIDS

God damn, these guys were so good! Scotland’s Lemonaids put out a few excellent pop-punk albums then seemingly disappeared into the ether. Their sophomore release Back to the Beach was one of my favorites in 2014. The songs are fast, fun, catchy 90’s pop-punk. If the Lemonaids came back and announced a new album tomorrow, I’d be the first in line to buy it!


WINNING STREAK

Winning Streak deserves credit for putting out one of the best skate punk records of 2020. The band’s sophomore effort We Need a Plan introduced Much The Same frontman Chris McGrath as their new backup vocalist/guitarist, and he fit in very nicely. The record marches along at breakneck speed with a healthy dose of the metallic guitar riffing popularized in melodic punk by bands like Strung Out and Mute. They’re supposedly working on a new album right now, too, so be on the look out for that!


THE HUMAN PROJECT

Leeds, UK’s The Human Project plays hard hitting melodic punk band in the vein of bands like A Wilhelm Scream and This Is A Standoff. Their latest album Clarion Call gets my heart racing like an audio energy drink every time I listen to it. Seriously, this shit is intense! Check it out.


MEGA

If you haven’t heard of Mega before, I don’t blame you. The band’s name makes it nearly impossible to find them on Spotify or any social media platform. I was introduced to these Italians by the Dummy Room podcast a few years ago. These guys are incredible! Some of the best (and most unique) pop-punk I’ve heard in a long time. They don’t sound like anything else out there – honestly I’m not sure I’d even call them pop-punk. Every time I put on 2019’s Narcissistic Punk Rock Disorder it’s like I get lost in a trance.


UP FOR NOTHING

Brooklyn’s Up For Nothing has been around for a while, but they seem to have flown under a lot of people’s radars. That’s quite the injustice, because these guys are a solid pop-punk band! They went MIA for a bit, but have returned with a new record called Escape Route. UFN draws a lot of influence from the Bouncing Souls, so it’s fitting that Souls guitarist Pete Steinkopf had a hand in the recording of this album.


BLOWFUSE

I fell in love with Blowfuse the first time I heard them almost a decade ago, watching the “Basket Case”-esque music video for their song “Ripping Out”. This band is from Barcelona, but their extremely frantic brand of punk rock draws a lot of influence from west coast punk and the 90’s Epi/Fat sound. Their whole catalog is fantastic, but the Couch EP is my favorite.


THE KIMBERLY STEAKS

Here’s another great band from Scotland! Those Scots sure do churn out some quality punk rock. The Kimberly Steaks sound kinda like Insomniac era Green Day, but snottier, faster, and… more Scottish. I’d suggest starting with their 2014 album To Live and Die in West Central Scotland. This record is the definition of all killer, no filler. It hits you like a freight train and just doesn’t let up. Great band, great album.


THE REAL DANGER

Face to Face fans will love The Real Danger. It’s been almost a decade since these Dutch punks put out a new record, but 2013’s Down and Out has aged quite gracefully. This album as a good starting point for new listeners. Fast, melodic punk brimming with hooks and vocal harmonies. Speaking of underrated bands, these guys kinda remind me of One Man Army, too.


THE HEXTALLS

Do you like pop-punk? Do you like hockey? How about pop-punk songs about hockey? Well, then I’ve got just the right band for you – The Hextalls! To be fair, not all their songs are hockey themed… they cover a myriad of topics such as catching your dad masturbating to Shania Twain, buying a singing toilet for your newborn child, and begging your parents to let you sleep in the treehouse… as a 33 year old man. Very serious shit! Anyway, all the Hextalls’ records are great, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Get Smashed. “I Don’t Wanna Be a New York Ranger” is a Top 10 song of all time for me. Fuck the Rangers!


REHASHER

People who know me know my all-time favorite band is Less Than Jake. I’m also a super fan of Roger Lima’s other band Rehaser. A passion project that occupies Lima’s time when he’s not touring the world with LTJ, Rehasher has released three blazing fast melodic punk albums (and recently a fun covers record) over the last 20 years. I love everything this band has put out, but my personal favorite is High Speed Access to My Brain. This is some of Roger’s best songwriting, in my opinion. If you like Belvedere, Rehasher is right up your alley.

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