Author page: Karina Schechter

Upcoming Releases All the Cool Kids Are Excited About

In regards to emo and pop-punk, 2018 has not been off to a particularly bangin’ start. I imagine you’re probably thinking something along the lines of: that’s because those genres died, like, ten years ago. But that’s where you’re wrong. Whatever wave of emo is currently happening is still sputtering on, asphyxiating slowly resultant of its cultural irrelevancy. Despite the poor state of the scene at present, however, there are still a few upcoming releases everyone can look forward to, both in and out of the genre.

Worst Party Ever Surprisingly Lit

Southern Florida may not have much going for it, but its local music scene is nearly unparalleled.  Breeding some of the most quintessential emo/pop punk/hardcore bands of all time (read: New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Underoath, Mayday Parade, Anberlin, A Day to Remember, and the like), no one really feels ~the pain~ as much as this slowly sinking state. Sarasota-based emo/punk band Worst Party Ever is no different. Worst Party Ever have been progressively banging out some exceptionally depressing tunes since 2014.  In 2016, they put out Anthology, a compilation (or, dare I say, an anthology) of all 21 of their recorded songs. And they’re all amazing.

The Dangerous Summer Self-Titled Album Review

The Dangerous Summer performing at Grimey’s New & Preloved Music (source: Karina Schechter)

Fresh off hiatus, The Dangerous Summer’s comeback has generated a pleasantly surprising amount of hype within the scene.  Their self-titled was released on January 26, 2018 through Hopeless Records, and general response to it has been positive, albeit far from glowing.

The Front Bottoms Succeed—But Also Fail Miserably—With Going Grey

Going Grey, released October 13th on Fueled by Ramen

I guess I missed the day in class when we learned that “Going Grey” was synonymous with “Selling Out,” but thankfully The Front Bottoms (TFB) caught me up on that lesson with their album release earlier this month.  Gone is the TFB known for their trademark gritty sound, lyrical depth, and endearing awkwardness.  The new era of TFB is under strict dictatorship by their label, Fueled by Ramen, and it definitely shows in their catchy, over-produced pop-punk album, Going Grey.

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Listen to ‘Always Foreign’ on Repeat for the Next Month

From Epitaph Records

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (TWIABP) has been a powerful presence in the ’emo’ community since the release of their debut full-length album Whenever, If Ever (2013).  Last week, the band released their third album, Always Foreign, a phenomenally composed album overflowing with cynicism, chaos, and an unadulterated sense of vulnerability.  

Neck Deep Goes Beyond “Generic Pop Punk” Brand with New Album: The Peace and The Panic

(courtesy of Twitter)

Neck Deep is one of those bands that never fails to impress.  Within the span of five years, they have skyrocketed to an incredible level of fame: between playing main stage at Warped Tour and opening for Blink-182, they have indisputably cemented their name as a pop punk powerhouse.  Upon releasing The Peace and The Panic (TP&TP) this past August, their fan base has continued to expand and dote on their favorite British band.  While some of the tracks on this album are somewhat questionable in nature, TP&TP is, overall, an absolute jam.

Nana Grizol Springs Back into Relevancy with an Incredible New Album

Emerging from a seven-year musical coma, Nana Grizol is back and better than ever with Ursa Minor, another chill indie-folk album offering songs that serve as disillusioned social commentary with compact narratives discussing various personal and societal issues.  As their first two albums have demonstrated, Nana Grizol is all about making the world a place more full of love and appreciation; with a message so wholesome, chords so wistful, and lyrics so earnest, this band is damn near impossible to dislike.

Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House: Emo at Heart

Music GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Two momentous things occurred on Friday, March 24: the first was that Paul Ryan’s dream of repealing Obamacare likely died forever; the second, almost equally exciting event, was the birth of #RoachGate, an Internet rumor alleging that Paul Ryan is secretly an angsty emo kid who still listens to Papa Roach.

10 Best Pop Punk Christmas Songs

punk-santa

Pop punk gets a lot of hate because, you know, it kind of sucks (for reasons why this statement is valid, please watch and enjoy this lovely vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9gvb2z1gCg).  Anyway, this reality doesn’t stop me from listening to the genre constantly.  Objectively speaking, I know I don’t have the best music taste, but pop punk songs are freaking adorable, so here are some of my personal favorite holiday songs from this genre (no covers included).

Albums That Don’t Suck As Much As I Once Thought

vinyl

While on a music-deletion rampage sometime last week, I realized that a lot of the albums I downloaded legally purchased ages ago only had roughly 2 or 3 songs on them that I recognized/ever listened to.  I gave some of these albums that I originally didn’t like more of a chance to woo me, and on most accounts I was pleasantly surprised.