A few weeks ago, we presented you with a list of underrated punk bands you probably, maybe, potentially hadn’t heard of before. Well, it seemed like you people may have enjoyed that, so we thought to ourselves, “What the heck? Let’s do a part two!” So, without any further ado, Dying Scene presents: Ten MORE underrated punk bands you need to check out right fuckin’ now!
THE RIPTIDES
Ottawa’s Riptides have spent 20+ years producing some of the best pop-punk to ever come out of Canada. These guys are right up there with Chixdiggit in my book. They’ve never put out a bad record, and their latest album Canadian Graffiti is pop-punk perfection. Every song on this thing is great, and it’s an absolute steal for $11 on vinyl.
POINT OF VIEW
San Jose’s Point of View has been around a while, and their sound has changed pretty drastically over the years. Their first album Sideshow Years is just awesome. It’s a blazing fast ska infused skate punk masterpiece that stayed in my car’s CD player for a few months when I first got it 10 years ago. Their new stuff is good, too, and is definitely worth checking out, but this is without a doubt Point of View’s magnum opus.
THE SUBJUNCTIVES
Hailing from Seattle, The Subjunctives are a pop-punk band fronted by Ean Hernandez from Sicko (speaking of underrated bands…). If you like The Mr. T Experience or old school pop-punk in general, you’ll like these guys. Check out their album Sunshine and Rainbows below. Grab it on vinyl from their Bandcamp page.
KURT BAKER
Kurt Baker makes fun power pop music with rock ‘n’ roll flair and punk rock energy. His 2012 album Brand New Beat reminds me a lot of my favorite Billy Joel record Glass Houses. This just got reissued with a bunch of bonus tracks for its 10th anniversary. Highly recommended listening for anyone who’s not too punk to admit they like pop.
WRONG LIFE
There was a time when I was absolutely obsessed with The Murderburgers. I first stumbled upon the Scottish pop-punk band when they released How to Ruin Your Life, which quickly reeled in with fast, melodic songs about being an unemployed degenerate. I was devastated when they called it quits in 2019, but happy to hear frontman Fraser quickly started a new project called Wrong Life. He’s released two great EPs that match the more serious tone of the Murderburgers’ later output, and supposedly has a full-length album coming soon. Be on the lookout for that!
THE WINDOWSILL
Anyone who’s read any of the bullshit I’ve posted since Dying Scene came back from the dead knows of my infatuation with Dutch pop-punk band Giant Eagles. The Windowsill is basically the same band (seriously, 3/4 of the members are in Giant Eagles) sans synthesizers. Their 2017 album Make Your Own Kind Of Music shows off their uncanny knack for writing some of the coolest, most laid back pop-punk tunes I’ve ever head. Crack open a beer and give this one a spin.
CIVIL WAR RUST
During my original stint with Dying Scene, one of my greatest discoveries was Civil War Rust. Death To False Hope Records used to have a shitload of music on their website that was free to download. That’s where I came across an EP from these East Bay punks. I loved it and I didn’t waste any time ordering their record The Fun & The Lonely that the songs on that free EP were pulled from. It’s been ten years, but I can still put this record on and enjoy it as much as my first listen. These guys are still making new music; they released a new single called “Heart of Gold” earlier this year. Civil War Rust deserves your attention.
THE YUM YUMS
If you’re in the mood for some unapologetically poppy punk, might I suggest The Yum Yums? This delightful Norwegian band has been churning out ultra catchy bubblegum punk for almost 30 years. Their 2020 record For Those About to Pop is some of their best work to date. Stop reading these words and listen to this awesome album already!
RECORD THIEVES
Denver’s Record Thieves, featuring members of Authority Zero and Allout Helter, released an excellent record in 2020. There was some other stuff going on at the time, so these guys seem to have flown under a lot of radars. If you like punk with melodic sensibility, this band is right up your alley. Listen to their full-length below, and grab it on vinyl here. Make sure to check out their brand new single “Fault Lines” as well.
PARASITES
When people say there’s no justice in this world, they ain’t lying! Dave Parasite rarely gets the recognition he’s due as one of 90’s pop-punk’s most clever songwriters. I’d challenge you to show me a bad song this man has written, but that’s an impossible task so I won’t waste your time. If you aren’t listening to the Parasites, what the fuck are you even doing? Start with Retro Pop Remasters – this record compiles the best of the band’s catalog. And be sure to grab the LP from here while you’re at it.
Sovak
Triple Deke… not on this list… should be on all lists.