Jack Kays - Get A Job

 

1. Who is Jack Kays? 

Jack Kays is some image savvy, whiny little bitch with cheap ink and wealthy parents, pretending that he's had it hard in life because he once slept in the basement. He makes mostly pop punk songs, comes from Cincinnati, has been making music since 2013, and has recorded one album. 

2. What's Get A Job all about? 

Green Day doing Good Riddance. Or Remembering Sunday, Yellowcard or The Wonder Years playing a vaguely catchy acoustic departure from their usual emo/pop punk. Get A Job is that song. It's summer playlist filler for holiday drives to rivers and lakes. Fish and chip wrapper. It does have a few good lines in it though. 

3. Which bands have influenced Jack Kays? 

I don't know. He has mentioned he had a hardon for Blink-182 as a kid, rocks a David Bowie T, and there is a bit of Against Me! about him to my ear; probably the bit where he/she cut off his/her dick. 

4. Who do Jack Kays sound like? 

honestav, Dashboard Confessional, Boxcar Racer, and Jimmy Eat World. 

5. What have people said about Jack Kays music? 

"Emotional depth shrouded in simplicity" - District Fray. 

"Blending the catharsis of punk and emo with rugged acoustic folk - All Music. 

"Emotional serenades and pop punk tinges" - Punk Rocker. 

"You say I need a job,'

Well I hate working for a guy like Bob,

Who can't get laid so he takes it out on me"

Reel Big Fish - Walking On Sunshine

 

1. Who are Reel Big Fish? 

Reel Big Fish are a ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California. They started making music in 1991 and have 9 albums to their name and are most famous for their AHA cover. Ice Nine Kills are a heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, that join them on this one off single for an American Psycho comic book soundtrack; Walking On Sunshine (July, 2024).

2. What does Walking On Sunshine sound like? 

Walking On Sunshine sounds like the excrement of a cheap-beer-drinking, street-food-eating, American backpacker after two weeks in Thailand, that has been spread like jam on hot toast. It is vile excrement, an abortion, finger-nails-running-down-a-blackboard unbearable. Not just a car crash but a multi-car pile up with significant casualties and young children involved. If this was an attempt to evoke genuine disgust, shock and horror then it succeeded in spades. Walking On Sunshine is the sound of a stranger vomiting everything out and they are down to dry heaves and bile. There is no justification for this shit stain on humanity existing, it is a cacophony of noise, discordant, incongruous and jarring. This should have been aborted at the stage of conception, late term or with coat wire hangers in an alley; it just has no good reason to exist. Jesus wept on the cross because he knew one day Reel Big Fish would play Walking On Sunshine. It's not very good, listen to Beer instead.

3. Which bands do Reel Big Fish sound like? 

Less Than Jake, No Doubt. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Save Ferris. 

4. Which bands influenced Reel Big Fish? 

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Operation Ivy, The Specials, and Madness. 

5. What have the cut and paste merchants said about Walking On Sunshine? 

"A spectacularly fun cover" - Kerrang! 

"The perfect ballance of both genres over lapping and coming to the front when needed" - Is This Music? 

"Genre blending cover" - MXDWN.

"I used to think baby you loved me,

Now baby I'm sure"

Drain - Good Good Things

 

1. Who are Drain? 

Drain are a hardcore punk/thrash metal crossover band from Santa Cruz, California, that have been together since 2014. Good Good Things is a Descendents cover and bounces off their second album Living Proof (May, 2023). 

2. What kind of song is Good Good Things? 

Good Good Things is joyful pop punk song lent a slight edge by a form hardcore punk band. Good Good Times is a a love song to an ex-girlfriend and a complete changeup for this band. 

3. Which bands do Drain sound like? 

Gulch, End It, Mindforce, and Incendiary. 

4. Which bands influenced Drain? 

Slayer, Black Flag, Dark Angel, Blast, and of course Descendents. 

5. What have people said about Good Good Things? 

"A change of pace for the band who trade in their thrash roots for melodic punk" - New Noise Magazine. 

"A departure from their usual hardcore blast" - Alt Press. 

"Bass-driven, uptempo, and catchy" - Metal Injection.

"I know a place up in the air,

It's not very far, I've been there before,

Well I know a place cool and warm,

Cooling my blood, warming my heart"

Pink Pussycats From Hell - Hellsa

 

1. Who are Pink Pussycats From Hell? 

Pink Pussycats From Hell are a garage rock duo from Lisbon, Portugal. They have been playing together since at least 2009 and Hellsa (June, 2024) is the lead single from their third album Helll.

2. What is Hellsa rocking? 

Hellsa has a garage guitar riff as immediately attractive as a Thai transvestite. The drums are doing overtime to make up for being a band member short and the vocals are delivered as bluntly as a prison rapist's hardon. It's amusing and likeable garage rock. 

3. Who do Pink Pussycats From Hell sound like? 

Bands I know that wear masks - GEE TEE and TISM. 

4. Which bands have influenced Pink Pussycats From Hell? 

MC5, The Cramps, and The Stooges. 

5. What have people said about Hellsa? 

"The band churns out a fun riff or two" - Sea Of Tranquility. 

"It's like a black eye: painful but cool" - Louder Sound. 

"A divine journey to the heart of rock-n-roll" - Glam Magazine.

"She knows my name,

I can't complain"

The Unknowns - Thinking about You

 

1. Who are The Unknowns? 

The Unknowns are a punk rock band from Brisbane, Australia. More rock'n'roll than garage they formed in 2014 and Thinking About You (February, 2023) slides off their second album The East Coast Low (March, 2023) like a chick wearing no knickers off a vinyl diner seat on a summers day.

2. What is Thinking About You about? 

Thinking About You has throbbing guitars, a throbbing singer, and just enough of a punk edge to stop this love song from being sickly sweet. It's like candy floss at the fair, packing a quick sugar rush, satisfying in the moment, and that's good enough. 

3. Which bands do The Unknowns sound like? 

Two members of the band are in The Chats. So there is that. Josh Hardy is a fat bastard and mugs it up a lot like Steve Jones too. But seriously people are feeling The Ramones, Cosmic Psychos and The Meanies. 

4. Which bands have influenced The Unknowns? 

The Saints, The Exploding Hearts, The Undertones, and The Lurkers. 

5. What have people said about Thinking About You? 

"Driving beats, steadfast melodics and sizzling guitar solos" - Hysteria Magazine. 

"No nonsense straight ahead garage punk that rips through the speakers" - Gimme Paperface. 

"Big hooks, massive energy, and an overwhelming sense of fun" - Faster and Louder.

"You always look so good to me,

If you were a film you'd be a fantasy"

FIDLAR - Down N Out

 

1. Who are FIDLAR?

FIDLAR are an influential garage/punk/surf rock band from Los Angeles, California. They have played together since 2009 and have never managed to better their high-tide mark of the lead single from their second album 40 Oz On Repeat (2015). Down N Out (July, 2024) is one of a few singles from their fifth album Surviving The Dream (Sept, 2024). 

2. What has Down N Out got going for it? 

Down N Out is a little bit of a return to form, a sweet surf-pop Beach Boys-style tune done by a garage band that have lost relevance and the sun is setting down on their backs. The spoken-word breakdown is putrid and indicative of a band stripped clean of ideas.  The lyrics are fucking whiny too. But all told Down N Out isn't completely vile; it remains passable for the intro that has a spectral sense of urgency, it's playful bouncy pop tone, and for the ghostly echoes of the excitement this band once conjured. 

3. Which bands do FIDLAR sound like? 

SWMRS, WAVVES, Bass Drum of Death, and The Frights. 

4. Which bands influenced FIDLAR? 

The Black Lips, Beastie Boys, Weezer, and The Hives. 

5. What is the word on the street about Down N Out?

"A sunburnt surf punk track with propulsive guitars and tongue-in-cheek spoken-word banter" - Prelude Press. 

"Sounds like classic FIDLAR" - Punk News. 

"An excellent single" - Kerrang! 

"Nodding out in a car,

Cause I don't give a fuck"

Nö Class - Here Comes Trouble

1. Who are Nö Class? 

Nö Class are an Oi, Punk, Pub Rock band from New Zealand who fight out of Melbourne, Australia. The band have been creating havoc since 2014-ish and have one or two long players to their name Painted In A Corner (2018) and The Early Years (2021). Here Comes Trouble steams off the E.P. of the same name Here Comes Trouble (May, 2022). 

2. What kind of tune is Here Comes Trouble? 

Here Comes Trouble is a pub punk rock song that charges out of the blocks like a greyhound after the rabbit and with the sound of a full pub cheering on their favorite horse in the Melbourne Cup. The opening verses are reminiscent of Jim Carrol's People Who Died (or the GWAR cover) which I assume is no accident as it is dedicated in memory of a fallen comrade. The chorus lands like a well placed footy kick and with the exuberance of a crowd at the MCG cheering a surprise goal propelling their favorite team to an unexpected victory. There is something intimate and yet universal in this celebration of a genuine character and Here Comes Trouble is the kind of rowdy banger to accompany a triumphant arrival in Valhalla.

3. Who do Nö Class sound like? 

There is a bit of early Kiwi punk about them like No Tag and they have covered The Enemy/Toy Love. Others have suggested there's a bit Motörhead in there (because of the name I guess) or Rose Tattoo. I'm hearing a bit of The Angels and RIXE too.

4. Which bands have influenced Nö Class? 

Motörhead, Rose Tattoo, The Business, Cock Sparrer and ...  AC/DC (which is a bit like crediting the Beatles and the Stones when you're a Kiwi or an Ocker but whatever). They have plenty of love for MESS and RIXE too.

5. What have the cut and paste bandits said about Here Comes Trouble? 

"Booze fuelled Aussie pub-rock, punk and Oi! and rock'n'roll" - said the wordsmiths at Epidemic Records.

"The perfect blend of ratbag Aussie rock, fist pumping British Oi, and an outer suburban pub car park fight" - VICE.

"Not as shit as I thought given you are sheep molesters" - YouTube Comments. 

"Hey! You better get out of the way!

He's been on the piss all day,

Here comes trouble again"

Drug Church - Demolition Man

 

1. Who are Drug Church? 

Drug Church are a post-hardcore punk band from Albany, New York. They formed in 2011 and Demolition Man (July, 2024) is the first single from their fifth album PRUDE (October, 2024). They are known for having a unique sound combining hardcore with 90's alternative rock. 

2. What kind of tune is Demolition Man? 

Demolition Man has the same kind of instantly lovable Green Day riffs that made them the kings of pop punk and a 90's alternative rock vibe but running roughshod over top are vocals channeling some biblical righteous anger about their perception of directionlessness in modern man. And that's the definition of a first world problem princess. 

3. Who do Drug Church sound similar to? 

Militarie Gun, Self Defense Family, early Goo Goo Dolls, Turnstile, and High Vis. 

4. Which bands have influenced Drug Church? 

Black Flag, Green Day, and Dinosaur Jr.  

5. What have people said about Demolition Man?

"Hooky, aggressive, big-guitar quasi-hardcore" - Stereogum. 

"Nineties alterna-hooks with a hardcore finesse" - Revolver Magazine. 

"A towering cut of furiously catchy melodies" - Punk Rock Theory.

"Picture being built for one thing,

And when that thing is done you feel free"

Crack Cloud - The Medium

 

1. Who are Crack Cloud? 

Crack Cloud are an art-rock band (or collective) from Calgary, Canada. Formed by singer and drummer Zach Choy in 2015, The Medium (June, 2024) is the second single from their third album Red Mile (July, 2024).  

2. What kind of tune is The Medium? 

The Medium is a pretty pop song that meanders along punctuated by guitars reminiscent of Big Audio Dynamite and some snarky vocals about the essential contradiction of loving punk music while those who fucked nuns later become the church. 

3. Who do Crack Cloud sound like? 

Comparisons have been made to Talking Heads, Gang of Four, and Wire. I was reminded of Superorganism (Everybody Wants to Be Famous).

4. Which bands have influenced Crack Cloud?

They have mentioned some love for Talking Heads, Sum 41 (and pop punk of that ilk), and Gang of Four. 

5. What have the cut and paste bandits said about The Medium? 

"A giddy take on old-school Clash-style punk rock" - Stereogum. 

"Johnny Rotten-esque punk snarls" - Flood Magazine.

"Part punk and part squelchy new wave" - Culture Fiend.

"Anger on display,

And someone smells a profit"

Fountain - Invisible Wasp

1. Who are Fountain? 

A band in need of a better fucking name and an alternative rock band/duo from Northampton, England. They have been making noise together since 2023 and Invisible Wasp (Feb, 2024) is the first single from their debut E.P. Stolen Flowers Bring Sickness (March, 2024). 

2. What is Invisible Wasp got going for it?  

Invisible Wasp has a retro riff that reminds me of Sisters Of Mercy (Vision Thing era) others are feeling late 2000's early 2010's alternative British rock; but really it just has back-in-the-day British alternative rock vibes. It's propelled forward by skating-down-a-steep-as-fuck-road-and-you-have-the-speed-wobbles-and-if-you-start-to-think-about-it-you-will-stack-it drums. 

3. Who do Fountain sound like? 

Well having listened to this and the E.P. I'm feeling bands like Rival Sons, Sisters of Mercy (you know which album), and Wolf Mother. 

4. Which bands have influenced Fountain? 

I'd love to be able to tell you. Do some press you pricks. But I'm guessing they don't hate The Ramones, Royal Blood, or Beware of Darkness. 

5. What have the press said about Invisible Wasp? 

"Energetic band, good rock" - Skiddle.

"All out punk-tinged headbanger" - Northampton Chronicle.

"A maniacal riff, harmoniously paired with pulsating drums" - Occulate.

Split Dogs - And What?

 

1.  Who are Split Dogs? 

Split Dogs are a punk band from Bristol, England. And What? (May, 2024) is the first single from their second album. 

2. What is And What? about? 

And What? is more garage rock'n'roll than Oi or Street Punk with riffs reminiscent of the kind of reappropriated AC/DC guitar riffs Amyl & The Sniffers and The Chats love. What's more And What? is redolent of a bygone British culture.

3. Which bands do Split Dogs sound like?  

Amyl & The Sniffers, Giftshop, and Vice Squad.

4. Which bands have influenced Split Dogs? 

I dunno. They have some love for Sham 69, Murphy's Law, and GBH though. 

5. What have the cut and paste merchants had to say about And What?  

"Stomping, high voltage" - IPA Music.

"Starts with a swinging guitar hook and doesn't take it's foot off the gas" - Punk In Focus.

"This blistering track is a raucous anthem" - Scene Music Media.

"It's rained the whole summer again,

Playin' shows just to keep me sane,

No fuckers standin 'in my way"

Teen Mortgage - Tuning In

 

1. Who are Teen Mortgage? 

Teen Mortgage are a punk duo from Washington D.C. Their music ranges from surf punk to hardcore, they have been playing together since 2017 and collected their singles and E.P's into a debut self-titled album Teen Mortgage (Jan, 2024). Tuning In (August, 2022) is their most popular song. 

2. What kind of song is Tuning In? 

Tuning In is a tight two minute garage rock song that bops and has a catchy chorus not entirely dissimilar to The Ramones or FIDLAR. The tune is dismissive of corporate media and its effect on society.

3. Which bands have Teen Mortgage been compared to? 

Comparisons have been made to Death From Above 1979, Bad Nerves and Wine Lips. 

4. Which bands have influenced Teen Mortgage? 

They have expressed some love for White Stripes, Dead Kennedys, Fu Manchu, The Cramps and their contemporaries Meth Rats. 

5. What have people said about Tuning In? 

"Big hooks, gritty guitars and raw garage/punk" - Havoc Underground.

"A steady percussive pulse ...complement a steady punk-friendly vocal" - Obscure Sound.

"A lot of intensity, attitude and a fundamental freshness" - Metal Junkbox. 

"Corporations own em and tell em what to say,

Telling all of us to keep our hatred away,

From the billionaires that cause the real glooming" 

Béton Armé - L'Union Fait La Force

 

1. Who are Béton Armé? 

Béton Armé are an Oi band from Montreal, Canada. They have been playing together since 2018 and L'Union Fait La Force is from their fourth EP Second Souffle (June, 2023).

2. What kind of tune in L'Union Fait La Force? 

If you liked old school eighties Oi like Infa Riot, Sham-69 or Cock Sparrer but you thought they it could be done better if the band just stuck to the Oi's and the sticky choruses then L'Union Fait La Force is the song for you. All the good part of classic Oi concentrated into one sweet concoction. 

3. Which bands do Béton Armé sound similar to? 

The Chisel, Violent Way, MESS, Syndrome 81, Claimed Choice, and RIXE. 

4. Which bands influenced Béton Armé?  

Some of the bands they enjoy are Camera Silens, RIXE, Trotkids, and Collabos. 

5. What have people said about L'Union Fait La Force?

"Harder than hell" - Stereogum.

"Ear worm choruses, buzz-saw guitars, and gang vox" - Maximum Rock'N'Roll.

"This is proper stomping, lift your knees up to your chin and fist pump the air Oi!" – Band Camp.

TURNSTILE - Holiday

 

1. Who are TURNSTILE? 

TURNSTILE are a hardcore punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, who found mainstream critical and commercial success by incorporating other musical styles into their music. Holiday (June, 2021) is one of their most popular songs and was on their third album Glow On (August, 2021) as well as a previous EP. 

2. What is Holiday all about? 

Holiday is the kind of song to appeal to listeners of mainstream music genres with an appealing juxtaposition of morose and joyful, mellow and raging. The secret to it's success is the bouncy guitar riff though.

3. Which bands do TURNSTILE sound similar to? 

Angel Du$t, Trapped Under Ice, SPEED, and Regulate.

4. Which bands have influenced TURNSTILE? 

Madball, Bad Brains, Power Trip, and Living Colour. 

5. What have people said about Holiday?

"Catchy, punchy and inventive" - NPR.

"Belting lead riff" - NME.

"Jubilant and contagious" - Revolver Mag.

"I wanna celebrate,

So I can never feel the cold"

SOFT PLAY - Punks Dead

 

1. Who are SOFT PLAY?

SOFT PLAY are a punk band from Royal Tunbridge Wells, England. They were previously known as SLAVES and have a sound that mixes punk/hard core with what might be described as a rap vocal delivery. They have been playing together since 2012 and Punks Dead (August, 2013) is the first single from their fourth album Heavy Jelly (July, 2024). 

2. What kind of tune is Punks Dead?

Punks Dead is one of the greatest punk songs you will ever hear. Born out of anger and refuting the general publics' fucking nasty and stupid comments about the band's name change it really has a bit of vitriol. It is hardcore punk while having a laugh. Massive riffs and not much else needed really.

3. Who do SOFT PLAY sound similar to?

TURNSILE, Kid Kapichi, RAT BOY, and sometimes they remind me of Japandroids. 

4. Which bands have influenced SOFT PLAY?

They say some of the influences they share together as young'uns are The Clash, Rancid, The Ramones, Gang of Four, and Talking Heads.

5. What have the press said about Punks Dead?

“Abrasive and agitated, with relentless guitars punctuating each line of feigned fury” – Far Out Magazine.

“Ferocious” – NME.

“A hard hitting and brutally honest song in every aspect” – For The Punks.

"Thought you were rowdy,

Thought you were punks,

What the fuck's with the new name?

SOFT PLAY more like soft cunts"

Bite The Hand - Brutal By Design

 

1. Who are Bite The Hand? 

Bite The Hand are a hardcore punk band from San Francisco, California. They formed in 2022 and Brutal By Design (February, 2024) is off their second E.P. of the same name. 

2. What has Brutal By Design got? 

Brutal Design has the color-by-the-numbers, fists-in-the-air, righteous anger and aggression to be expected from a hardcore banger but it's the differences that make it standout; the slow grinding groove, heavy metal guitar riffs and the Indian tabla drum, a feature of Indian folk and popular music. It's outside the box and a melodic ear worm.

3. Which bands do Bite The Hand sound like? 

Sick Of It All, Biohazard, Sabretooth Zombie, and Paint It Black.

4. Which bands have influenced Bite The Hand? 

They have mentioned some love for Bitter End, Blacklisted, Cold World, and Power Trip. 

5. What have the cut and paste bandits said about Brutal By Design?

"Swinging down the power of a wood chopper" - Distorted Sound. 

"Sharp riffs and punchy attitude" - Metal Noise. 

"Draws from the bounce of Californian hardcore bands and infuses a sharp, full, tough sound" - The Punk Site.

"I've lost all control,

Now I'm stuck staring at hot coal,

With war on my mind"