We chatted with Punk Rock legend Chuck Comeau of Simple Plan – all about their recent album “Harder Than It Looks!” We chatted about the “Blame Canada” tour with Sum 41, going DIY by self-producing and releasing their own records, their history of collabs, making more mature records, major anniversaries, and much more!
Maryland rockers The Dangerous Summer‘s new record Coming Home (Rude Records) starts with the evocative title track – with its hypnotic piano riff and prominent Pixies influence. This is TDS’ sixth album, and it is a rockier affair than its three-year-old predecessor, Mother Nature.
It feels like day 666 of blazing sun in the year of our dark lord 2022, as Satan’s domain continues to take control and roast our planet (climate change, what climate change?), yet finally, and oh so sweetly timed as we hit holiday season, in the words of The Undertones ‘Here Comes The Summer!’ And, boy, do we have the perfect sunshine accompaniment in the form of the beer-and-beach party punk rock of Beddy Rays and their self-titled, self-released debut. And the aforementioned Undertones smash isn’t a bad place to start in terms of the style and sound of this joyous album teaming, like rock pools with crustaceans, with ear-worms and great tunes. Continue reading
Music is routinely used as an avenue to either express one’s feelings or to make sense of them. Oftentimes used as a crutch in our darkest of hours, it’s safe to say music has helped countless people crawl out of their lowest of lows, both through listening and writingContinue reading
Fifteen years, and now seven albums into a successful career that has seen them move into both chart success status in their native Japan and mainstream culture by providing the opening theme for Netflix original anime series Bastard, Nagoya five-piece metalcore outfit coldrain are back following the longest gap between releases, with new offering Nonnegative (Warner Japan).
For most styles of music, the word ‘generic’ gets used as a negative critique to discredit the artist’s creative ability and expression. However, in the last decade or so, the term ‘generic pop punk’ has become a shameless staple in a scene that values catchy hooks, relatable lyrics and sing-along choruses over all else. Now on their fourth album, Kings Of The New Age (Pure Noise), pop punk hotshots State Champs continue to freely put out the same kind of music they have always loved. Continue reading
The very nature of Simple Plan’s hotly anticipated sixth record, Harder Than It Looks (Self-Released) is actually doubly prophetic. The French-Canadian fourpiece have kept it rather simple indeed since they hit it big with ‘I’d Do Anything’ way back in 2002. Not known as a hugely poetic or introspective lyrical band, the pop punkers instead let the music do the talking in all its springy, bobby greatness. That’s not to say the means by which to achieve this is easy, hence the album title.Continue reading
Two things remain certain when it comes to Texas pop-punk veterans Bowling For Soup: the band is wonderfully self-aware, and they remain the undisputed champions when it comes to bridges.Continue reading
Cosmic Ninja has a new EP coming out called Dissident Transmission (Self-Released). Its first track, ‘By Design’ is a wonderful disco-inspired danceable tome. It’s a song ABBA could have done either in the 1970s or now. My favourite lyric is, “…wake up, enough’s enough! kill your masters…” The lyrics of ‘By Design’ and the rest of Dissident Transmission are a strong stand against the corruption of government entities. Dissident Transmission is a wake-up call to those who are angry about how the government is deliberately misleading the citizenry. The lyrics are heavy and in-your-face but the music itself is pop punkish with a new wave feel. Continue reading
Australian pop-rock trio Short Stack have put out their fifth studio album Maybe There’s No Heaven (UNFD), using it as a means to tell the story of their career ups and downs and love lives since their debut Stack Is The New Black in 2009. Though it has its faults, punchy choruses and exhilarating instrumentals come and go to keep it worth hearing more. Continue reading