Mike Herrera, frontman of MxPx, has shared an acoustic cover of Millencolin‘s classic ‘No Cigar’. This is ahead of Mike heading to Australia to tour with Millencolin next month. Goldfinger will be opening for the entire run. That’s right, Mike has been playing bass with Goldfinger as well for a few years now.

If you haven’t yet, be sure listen to Millencolin’s excellent new album ‘SOS’. Mike’s cover along with the Millencolin/Goldfinger dates Down Under can be found below.

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The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade seem like a slightly strange pairing for a co-headline tour. Although from the same world, they occupy different spaces within punk and pop punk music. Over the past few years, The Wonder Years have steadily been moving away from the positive leaning pop punk they originally came up playing alongside contemporaries like Man Overboard and The Story So Far. More recent albums have seen The Wonder Years broadening their horizon and arguably following a similar musical path to Brand New (apologies for the unfortunate reference). Mayday Parade, on the other hand, are something of a poppier and cheesier version of Taking Back Sunday. To see these two bands headlining a tour together at this stage of their careers, is therefore something of a surprise.

This past Saturday The Wonder Years and Mayday Parade played The Troxy in East London, a step up for both bands in terms of venue size for a London headlining show. Along on this tour were also opening acts pronoun and Movements.

Given doors open at 6pm, pronoun have an earlier set time than they perhaps might have chosen. When they take the stage, the room is not yet half full. This is however to be expected for a band playing first on a four-band bill, and at least the front floor is more or less covered. Alyse Vellturo is the sole official member of pronoun, she takes the stage with her backing band in what look like mechanic jumpsuits. The atmosphere in the room suggests that not many of the crowd are familiar with Alyse and her music, and she seems humbled that some of the crowd have made the effort to catch the early set. Their second song ‘A Million Other Things’ (from the 2017’s EP ‘Use Passport To Choose A New Location’) is a great driving pop song in a major key that is reminiscent of The 1975. Much of the set continues in a similar vein and it makes for an enjoyable listen. The songs feel more indie-pop rather than punk, the guitars aren’t too heavy and there isn’t a palm muted verse in sight. By the second half of the set, the venue is beginning to look busier and pronoun have the attention of all who are there. The set finishes with two songs from the upcoming full-length ‘I’ll Show You Stronger’ (out in May). Whilst both songs are strong, the prominent backing track is somewhat distracting and takes away any energy the songs might have otherwise had live.

Next up are Caliifornia’s Movements. The room is filling more by the time they take the stage and jump straight into the opener which is textbook emo-tinged post-hardcore with driving palm-muting guitars. The four-piece look the part in their long-sleeved streetwear t shirts and chinos. One thing that iss immediately noticeable about their live sound is the significant amount of reverb on the vocals, this could have been dialed back somewhat. It’s obvious from the start that a lot of the crowd are here to see this band as a moshpit breaks out fairly quickly. The songs, however, feel like they’re missing the big choruses that would make the set a lot more entertaining. The band are also very static on stage, but one could argue that is often the style for many of these modern post-hardcore pop punk bands. Despite their lack of stage presence,some of the audience begin crowd-surfing a few songs in. It is difficult to share the enthusiasm of the fans at the front of the room, as Movements subject the crowd constantly to Nirvana-esque riffs and predictably dull choruses.

By 8pm, it was time for the first of tonight’s co-headliners. The Wonder Years take the stage and burst into the title track of last year’s ‘Sister Cities’. There is an abundance of energy with this opener and most of the crowd are singing along. The venue however, does not look particularly full, perhaps this due to the fact that 8pm is a comparatively early slot for a headliner. The band then jumps straight into ‘Local Man Ruins Everything’ which sounds huge with the three guitars on stage and the Troxy is singing every word. The Wonder Years are not afraid of a bit of pogo-jumping (and rightly so) as they get the room jumping for ‘Dismantling Summer’ from 2013’s ‘The Greatest Generation’. This song also showcases the impressive harmonies the band are capable of, which appear to be more prominent with guitarist Matt Brasch seeming to add more vocals than he has done previously. ‘Raining In Kyoto’ is a strong song from their most recent record, and they execute this well with lead singer Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell grabbing a drum stick and hitting an extra crash cymbal. They continue mixing songs from their last three records well with the crowd enjoying them all equally. One problem with The Wonder Years, however, is how seriously they take themselves. Whilst of course it is a good thing to believe in your art, the pretentious tendencies of this band can sometimes feel a little bit uncomfortable. The more recent slow rock songs, whilst mostly well-written, feel like they are by band that ‘thinks’ they are writing a masterpiece. Also, Soupy’s interaction with the crowd sometimes feels cringe-worthy, he constantly speaks in a theatrical over-emotive voice that makes one think “just talk normally dammit!”. Soupy also takes a moment to say that the band are ‘bruised’ by being on tour and doing press. It’s understandable that tour can be grueling and hard work, but this sentiment feels slightly crass given they are co-headlining a big tour which is likely to not be paid poorly.

Despite these hang-ups, the Wonder Years remain engaging. They throw the crowd off guard by playing old classic ‘Don’t Let Me Cave In’ at what feels like twice the normal pace. It cannot be denied how many good songs they have written over the past few years as the room explodes for ‘Passing Through A Screen Door’ and ‘Cardinals’ reminds us how strong its chorus is. They finish up a primarily impressive set with fan favourite ‘Came Out Swinging’ which is delivered with lots of energy and is great fun, even though the lyrics feel a bit stale and dated eight years after its release.

Florida’s Mayday Parade have a had a steady career since their first EP in 2006. They have played increasingly bigger and bigger venues each time they have visited the UK, and the Troxy seems like a good step after they headlined The Forum in Kentish Town 18 months ago. Their sound of emo pop rock, whilst cheesy, is both charming and catchy if one accepts them for what they are. Tonight they open with ‘Never Sure’ from their 2018 album ‘Sunnyland’. This is a solid pop song with an excellent middle 8, but the crowd is yet to be grabbed in the same way they were instantly by The Wonder Years’ set. It’s when Mayday go into ‘Jersey’ from their 2007 album ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ that the audience really gets excited. The singalong this ignites is arguably more intense than anything The Wonder Years inspired. They continue the first half of the set by mostly interweaving songs from ‘Sunnyland’ and ‘A Lesson In Romantics’, this works well as the latter is their most popular album. Songs like ‘Black Cat’ are irresistible to those familiar with ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ and ‘Piece Of Your Heart’ was a well received single last year.

Before going into their biggest song ‘Jamie All Over’, Mayday Parade treat the crowd to a medley of songs by the likes of New Found Glory and Taking Back Sunday. They then follow with their cover of Gotye’s ‘Someone That I Used To Know’ and several songs from their self titled album, all of which are received enthusiastically by the crowd. The band leaves the stage before returning for their encore song ‘I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About’ to the delight of the audience.

Mayday Parade are a strange beast. To the eye, they seem to be stuck in 2009 with their long hair and ultra-skinny jeans (singer Derek Sanders looks overly-comfortable in bare feet!). They have music that can dismissed as ‘sappy’, but yet there is something wholly appealing about them and many of their songs. Whilst they may never reach the heights of some of their contemporaries, there is no reason why they cannot continue to build upon their rising career.

The Wonder Years seem set on continuing developing their musical sound and message. They have a huge, loyal following that will no doubt embrace whatever direction they take their band in the coming years. After watching their set, however, it is hard not to ignore the overheard sentiments of one American fan commenting midset “I get that they are an important band for this scene, but their shows can be annoying with the singer going on like he’s fucking Axel Rose”.

Alberta thrasher punks, Wolfrik, have an eclectic sound, to say the least when describing their music. For starters, lead singer Dylan Toews’ archetypal bellows – at times, redolent of Scott Sturgeon (Leftover Crack, Chocking Victim) – swim anxiously through some seriously ripping melodic metal solos, and dreamy face-melters to almost give the impression that this could be what crack rock sounds like if it didn’t pawn all their guitars. Dual harmonies provided by Kevin Perry and Mark Seifiddine, and a fast-as-fuck rhythm section in Luca Properzi (carpel tunnel) and Nathan Troock (involuntary muscle spasms) bring together the weird, disquieted melodic thrash-punk anomaly that is Wolfrik, and their album, Skeleton City which somehow emerges the disparate haze, as a seamless and functioning… fucking really good debut EP.

Skeleton City was originally self-released by Wolfrik last Spring on CD and digital formats. It has since been picked up for a vinyl reissue by Thousand Island Records (North America) and Lockjaw Records (Europe), with the vinyl release set for March 1, 2019. You can order those at each respective link provided above.

Wolfrik has a 16-date European tour lined-up in support of the Skeleton City. Check out those dates as well as the neurotically perturbed lyrics, with a breakdown of their meaning from vocalist, Dylan Toews, below. Enjoy!

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Heading towards the release of “Morbid Stuff” this April, PUP have revealed a music video for their new single “Free At Last”.

The video is comprised of fan submitted covers of the track, who had only the lyrics and a chord sheet to go by to get the covers together and submit to the band.

Check out the end result of PUP’s foray into crowd sourcing using the player below and pre-order “Morbid Stuff” now through Rise Records.

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Cokie The Clown, the alter ego of NOFX’s Fat Mike, will release his debut album “You’re Welcome” through Fat Wreck on April 26th. The album is an exploration of “his deepest regrets, fears, and experiences” consisting of ten tracks with Travis Barker on drums and Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle) behind the desk.

The first track to be released from the album is “Punk Rock Saved My Life”, which is streaming now and can be checked out using the player below. Get the full low down on the release over at the Fat Wreck website. [Read more…]

Dallas grindhouse punk band, Bullet Machine just released a new album, Knuckle Supper. You can check that out below! [Read more…]

It’s new music day!! I mean, everyday. We’re punks not brainless Clear Channel amateurs, and today I’m here to wisen you up to a distinct group of so-Cal pop/skate punxx called We Found A Map. (There name has got to be a Goonies refernece, right? It just has to be.)

Earlier this week they streamed the first single, “Zelda is a Girl”, off their upcoming EP, To the Robot Graveyard, on their bandcamp page, which is also where you can stream and pre-order the EP that comes out in full on March 5. I’m happy to say that today I get to release the second single off that record, “Royal Blue”, which speaks largely of the band’s form and musical approach by design with intricate palm-mute patterns, and baroque bass lines that appropriately highlight the honest aspect in character of highly tangible lyricism and a fast-tempo pop punk backbone.

It’s a song about the team that can be seen as a metaphor for the American dream, and how we all chase it in our own varying ways, mostly in horse blinders.

To the Robot Graveyard is releasing on the heels of the band’s 2018 EP, To the Haunted Arcade. (Also available for streaming and download) There’s no telling where the great adventure will take us next. Stream “Royal Blue” below.  [Read more…]

Man, I’m not sure a band has ever spoken to me quite like Pkew Pkew Pkew has. This is a band that meditates on intense life issues like: wanting to order a pizza, but not wanting to be the one that calls; skateboarding, and subsequently getting hurt in your mid-20s; and of course, the age-old battle of people calling you ‘chief.’ Pkew Pkew Pkew is deeply indebted to minutiae, raucous singalong odes to sweating the small stuff. I’ve liked a lot of albums in the last couple years, but these Toronto pop punks are the only ones to make a perfect one. With Optimal Lifestyles, we have their sophomore release—one, ironically, with a lot of weight riding on it, despite the low-key slacker vibe of their music. The drunken louts who practice in apartments, gang vocal about getting drunk (before they go out drinking, of course) are now in the unenviable position of following up perfection.

For those that don’t know Pkew, think of them like PUP’s underachieving cousin. Both bands have a melodic, audience-informed approach to the genre—complete with gang vocal chants you can’t help but get amped for in a live setting. But where PUP is ambitious and technically proficient, Pkew Pkew Pkew play their power chords with an almost garage rock intensity. They come off as just a bunch of dudes who have no idea how their band made it to where they are. They play funny songs with lots of fun parts to shout along to, and they’re really good at it. On Optimal Lifestyles though, the trend is upended, with a few returns to forms. The band has expanded their instrumentation for one, getting weird with their production when the opportunity occurs (check out the sax on “Point Break”), but they also sound less emphatic, less ballsy this time around too—embracing more mid-tempo, alt-rock sounding melodic punk a la Nothington.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but: Optimal Lifestyles is not as good as the self-titled. For all of the original’s charms, the band seems to be trying to shift their core identity, and unfortunately: the new Pkew is not as good as the old Pkew. At times, Optimal Lifestyles is just too damn serious. It’s also too damn long. At fifteen tracks, the fast, loud, brash, and silly vibe of a bunch of twenty-something slackers is lost in a sea of growing and learning that feels continuously off target.

Still though, as much as this is not as good as their first album, it’s also still pretty good. The original band is still in here, somewhere, even if it takes a little cutting through the fat. “I Wanna See a Wolf” is possibly the best song on the album, a perfectly executed banger about something so mundanely stupid I can barely believe it was written in the first place. This is the essence of Pkew Pkew Pkew. Here, we have such delicate lyrics as, “I don’t wanna settle for a coyote, I know they’re easier to see, well fuck that.” There’s also “Adult Party,” which I think straddles the line between new and old the best, where painting a picture of a shitty party full of shitty people builds to an epic gang vocal singalong of, “Rich kids, go fuck yourself, if there’s some in the audience, go somewhere else.” That’s the kind of bravado I love and expect from Pkew.

Album ender, “Thirsty and Humble,” bridges this gap pretty well too. It’s a massive singalong that talks about drinking beers in alleys, the new Red Dead, and caps off with a neat thirst metaphor. The problem with Optimal Lifestyles is that there’s not enough of these moments to make the new Pkew palatable. It almost feels like a third album in that respect, as if we’re missing a link between two vastly different bands. Is the more serious approach bad? Is Pkew Pkew Pkew bad at writing serious songs? No, not really. The songs are fine, but they don’t conjure the excitement and newness (nor the wonderful brevity) of the first album. Slowing down and singing about depression is hardly a novel progression in punk rock in 2019. But maybe, it’s necessary. Maybe the clowns are tired of honking their noses and making us laugh at how dumb they can be. Optimal Lifestyles isn’t perfect, but it is good—and for all of its changes, it doesn’t feel calculated in the least—one sure reminder that buried in this new sound, Pkew Pkew Pkew still lives.