Teenage Bottlerocket released their long awaited new full length album and it contains 14 songs of their recognizable pop punk mixed with Ramones like fast songs full of energy and melody, calling them purveyors of so called Ramonescore. Ray’s and Kody’s dual vocals are sounding better than ever creating superb melodies and awesome harmonies. Lyrics as usual deal with sci fi, horror, love and emotions plus humor. My personal favorites are faster songs like High Speed Yoga, also Friend Named Fly, Post Mortem Depression but there are also mid tempo more introspective emotional punk rock songs like True To You and She’s The Shit. Fans of this band will not be disappointed, this is way better album than the last one in my humble opinion, with more catchy and memorable songs. I really enjoyed listening to this excellent album.
Walt Hamburger is in no way stranger to the pages of this webzine. This new record contains first new music since 2019. And also, this time it is a full band record, not him solo on acoustic guitar. Walt gathered a formidable group of musicians with him, namely Neil Hennessy (Lawrence Arms), Asher Simon (Joey Cape’s Bad Loud), Mikey Erg (Ergs, Unlovables), & Jon Snodgrass (Drag the River, Scorpios). This new opus contains 8 songs of heartfelt emotional punkrock, a mix of melodic punkrock and pop punk. Lyrics are such beauty on this record, being almost poetry. Songs are mixture of more straightforward pure punkrock songs, and also atmospheric almost pure acoustic songs like for example one of my favorites being Do Crimes. Walt has such beautiful voice and I dare say he is one of the top singers in the melodic punkrock scene nowadays. Other songs which I must name as my favorites on this record are Insolence and Stay. Listening to this record kinda wakes within me melancholy and sadness, but also glimpses of hope ahead of me. Awesome record indeed, maybe a bit short but sweet! 9/10
Bridge The Gap are coming from Utah, USA, and this is their new record.
This one is their second full length opus and it contains 14 songs of nice melodic punk with skate punk and hardcore elements. I love that their songwriting is closer to old school nineties melodic punk, than this newer school of skatepunk/melodic punk. The music is fast and catchy punk rock with anthemic guitar riffs and hooks with some tempo changes and beautiful vocals and backing vocal harmonies which are of very great importance in this kind of melodic punk. If I must compare it to some bands it would be a mixture of Pennywise and No Use For A Name, at least that’s how I heard it. Lyrics are personal and deal with fatherhood, dealing with your inner demons, heartbreak, loss, but also there is hope between the lines and better future and tomorrow for the listener to immerse in. My personal favorites are Brothers, Broken Language, No Profit In Peace and Walking Wounded. This is melodic hardcore/skatepunkrock par excellence so check this one out!
