Vice has put together an interesting (and potentially a little inflammatory) article about the word "punk" and what the author describes as it's rapid descent into meaninglessness:

"Punk" is a totally stupid word. [It is] an ethos or set of ideals, so anything that falls under this gigantic, safety-pinned umbrella gets labeled as "punk." Then, there are all these subgenres of punk, all with equally gross-sounding names.

I asked for input from my friend Brendan Kelly, a notable punk rocker who has been punk rocking for the last 15 punk years in the punk band The Lawrence Arms (very punk). Take it away, BK: "If Crass is punk and Good Charlotte is punk and Madball and Fifteen and the Misfits and Shelter and the Cro-Mags are all punk (and they all are, because no rules, bro), then it's pretty meaningless ideologically, which means it's just another way to sell something, and 'ways to sell something' are either lame marketing strategies on one hand, or propaganda the other."

So basically, if everything is punk, then nothing is punk. At this point, I'd like to point out that punk is the only genre of music where this sort of discussion occurs. You never hear fans of motown at each other's throats about what is or is not "motown" BECAUSE THE TEMPTATIONS ARE NOT REAL MOTOWN YOU FUCKING POSER GO BACK TO HOT TOPIC.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Night Verses have released the song, "Whatever Makes You Hate Me," as well as a 10 minute sampler of their new full length, Lift Your Existence. It's due out June 25, 2013.

Check out the song here. You can click Read More for the sampler.

Since it's apparently music video release day, Dillinger Escape Plan have posted their video for the title track from their new album, One of Us is the Killer.

You can click Read More for the video.

Wavves have posted the video for "That's On Me," It's from the new 2013 album, Afraid of Heights .

You can click Read More for the video.

The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die have posted their video for "Picture of a Tree That Doesn't Look Okay." The song comes from their album, Whenever, if Ever, which is out physically this week but had an early digital release in May after the album leaked.

You can click Read More for the video.

Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, both of Blondie, recently visited The Red Bull Music Academy to deliver a 90 minute lecture about their time in New York in the 70s and 80s and how the iconic city's melting pot of punk, wave, reggae and hip hop, informed the band's eventual success.

You can click Read More for video of the entire lecture.

Whirr - the shoegaze outfit which shares a member with Deafheaven - have announced some summer tour dates beginning on the last day of July. The shows kick off just two weeks after Deafheaven completes their tour in support of Sunbather.

Whirr is planning to release their new album, Around, on July 9, 2013.

You can click Read More for the dates.

NJ's D'arcy (featuring members of Static Radio and Fierce Brosnan) have released a video covering the classic Joy Division track "Disorder." In honor of the period of the original release, the band opted to record the video in analog - using an old VHS video recorder. The track is also available as a free download at the group's BandCamp page, along with a free download of an EP released last year titled Shoot My Love.

"Disorder" is the opening track on Joy Division's 1979 debut Unknown Pleasures.

Check out the video below by clicking Read More.

South Carolina hardcore outfit Apart have posted one of the two songs from their upcoming 7-inch. It's titled A Bright And Clever Hell and is due out September 24, 2013 via Mayfly Records. It's the follow up to Gray Light which was released in 2012.

The band has earned comparisons to bands like Xerxes, Modern Life is War, Pianos Become the Teeth and others.

You can click Read More for the song.

Atlanta's Coathangers have posted their video for "Derek's Song." the song comes from the punk outfit's latest 7-inch with Nü Sensae on Suicide Squeeze Records.

You can click Read More for the video.

Uxbridge, UK's Colour Me Wednesday have released a video for their new single Shut.

The track is taken from their forthcoming debut album I Thought It Was Morning, and is available as a 'name your price' download from their Bandcamp page.

The album is due out on Discount Horse Records on the 29th of July, and is available to preorder now from the label, or the band with a range of zine bundle deals available at the latter. You can click Read More for the video.