Against Me!: 23 Live Sex Acts

Sept. 4, Total Treble Music

Because so much has changed with Against Me! since their last live album I think this is the perfect time for them to release their second one. Believe it or not Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! was released in 2006 when the band was still on Fat Wreck Chords and their Live at The Key Club video was released in 2007. The track listing on 23 Live Sex Acts covers songs from Reinventing Axl Rose all the way up to Transgender Dysphoria Blues. And apparently the tracks were chosen from different shows that the band played all over the world this past year or so. I have seen Against Me! five times since Transgender Dysphoria Blues was released and all I can say that all five shows were nothing less than spectacular. And judging by the version of “True Trans Soul Rebel” that they released early, I’d say that this live album will sound really great. It also sounds like Against Me! did a fantastic job for the vinyl release, too. According to the presale description, it will be a 180-gram, triple LP with clear with blue and yellow splatter coloring. The black vinyl version will be a triple LP as well, but on 120-gram vinyl. For us die hard fans, this release really needed to happen. I for one can’t wait. -Ricky Frankel

Against the Grain: Road Warriors

July 31, Self Destructo

From day one, Against The Grain has built their reputation on constant touring and kick-ass live shows. Their combination of stoner metal and blazing fast punk has attracted new fans everywhere they’ve played (and they’ve played a hell of a lot of places). Beginning with their third record, 2013’s Surrounded By Snakes, ATG started to slow things down just a little bit and really concentrate on the quality of their songwriting. While Road Warriors shows devotion to Against The Grain’s nomadic lifestyle, the band is really coming into its own in the studio. The preview tracks show ATG further exploring their '70s-style dual lead guitar sound, without entirely abandoning their speed rock roots. It’s like Motorhead meets Thin Lizzy, with lots of riffs and catchy choruses. The band hopes to play 200 live dates this year, so you may very well get to experience it for yourself. With Road Warriors, Against The Grain stands poised to attract a large audience with a record that should appeal to a wide range of punks and headbangers. -Tom Crandle

Bad Canoes: TBA

Fall 2015, TBA

No, I won't stop talking about Bad Canoes!!! They are just completely ripping my mind in half this year! Every time I see them live, their songs have changed from the last time. Led by Marissa Paternoster, the band makes frantic, spastic, berserk music that I can only describe as being the essence of punk itself. There is yelling. There are avant-garde synth lines. A bass feels like a freight train. The drums are loud and savage and would make Dale Crover proud. Their live shows often end with the band covered in slime, falling asleep on the ground or being transfixed by a rain stick. Every show is weird, unique and challenging. Well, they've recorded a new 7-inch which I can only assume will have their newest songs on it. There's one about how you suck if you don't like their favorite radio station. There's another about doing the dog with religious figures. Whatever their views on Glory may be, if Jesus came down and asked me what release I want for 2015, I'd say, "Big J, gimme dem Bad Canoes!" -John Gentile

Beach Slang: TBA

Fall 2015, Polydor Records

Beach Slang properly introduced themselves last year with two extremely solid EPs. After a big signing with Polydor Records, it’s expected that the band’s full-length release will be nothing but slow punk sing-a-longs with extreme heart. James Alex has some of the most passionate and romanticizing lyrics, even if he’s just serenading cheap thrills. Both EPs were ingrained with solid, melodic, gloomy punk songs with James’ soothingly crisp voice crooning over the instrumentation. While there’s no proper release date for Beach Slang’s debut album, the band is extremely promising with their endeavors so far. “Dirty Cigarettes” proved the band could make a catchy chorus in addition to one liners that audience members love to scream back at Alex’s smiling face. No matter what, the band puts their unfiltered passion into everything they write and every show they play to create one of the most prolific bands from the Philadelphia area in a while. -Jonathan Steinberg

Crazy and the Brains: Brainfreeze

Summer 2015, Baldy Longhair

Crazy and the Brains just keep building momentum. The band is wild and wacky and are explosive as Little Richard in his prime. But, their true skill is taking an innocuous subject and turning it into something dirty. Take their tune "Ice Cream" for example. It may be about licking but it is not about desert. Well, who knows what Brainfreeze will be a metaphor for, but you know it's going to have their MAD Magazine meets Psycho vibe. They also have a xylophone in the band which makes these ADD-punks sound even more like deranged maniacs. I can dig it. -John Gentile

The Front Bottoms: TBA

Fall 2015, Fueled by Ramen

New Jersey natives The Front Bottoms have made a name for themselves. After longevity of albums and shows, the band has finally reached their peak of stardom. The band has an incredibly loving following that they embrace in some of the best ways possible. The Front Bottoms infectious acoustic pop rock only gets better with age and with the band’s third official album coming out in the second half of this year on Fueled by Ramen. The album’s first single, “West Virginia,” had fans a little puzzled with a more electric sound than the acoustic vibe fans are used to. Regardless, the song is a great way to introduce the band’s next move. With a few very small sold out shows on tour in the past couple weeks, it’s definitely likely the band are gearing up for something huge from the end of this year and onward. The band announced that the record should be expected in the Fall. -Jonathan Steinberg

Kanye West: SWISH

Fall 2015…? TBA

When is Kanye West's SWISH coming out? No one knows for sure. First, we heard it would be out last year, then this summer, and now fall. The record will be a surprise release because that’s how major pop stars do it nowadays. Whenever it comes out, it’s sure to break the Internet in ways Kim couldn’t. His next output has all the usual signs: It’s shrouded in secrecy. The title has changed (and easily could again.) And, of course, SWISH features high-end clientele. So far, Kanye’s worked with Paul McCartney, Theophilus London, Sia and Vic Mensa on various songs. What will or will not make the album remains to be seen, but if single “All Day” is any indication expect a sound similar to 2013’s Yeezus. However, if the McCartney collaboration “Only One” is any indication… Oh who the hell knows with Kanye? We’ll get what we get when he blesses us with it, and he’ll expect us to thank him for it. We probably will. -Nick Poyner

Leftover Crack: TBA

Fall 2015, (officially)TBA

Leftover Crack hasn’t released a full length since Fuck Word Trade in 2004. Since then Star Fucking Hipsters released three full lengths and the band lost Ezra Kire to his other band Morning Glory. There’s a lot of speculation about the new Leftover Crack album. They have been in the studio for quite a while now where it was rumored that Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy and Classics of Love did some guest vocals and the band Blackbird Raum made an appearance as well. Leftover Crack though, did reissue of Fuck Word Trade , not on Alternative Tentacles, but on Fat Wreck Chords, instead. So I would not be surprised if Fat were to release the new album, too. But who knows how the first Leftover Crack album without Ezra Kire will sound? I have plenty of hope that it’ll be up to par with the other two. I have seen them perform twice this year and they did play a few new songs and they sounded awesome. Again, there’s a lot of speculation surrounding this release. Who knows if this album will even get a 2015 release date? The sooner the better I say. I have very high hopes for this album. -Ricky Frankel

Motion City Soundtrack: TBA

Fall 2015, TBA

There’s a lot to say about Motion City Soundtrack. There’s also a lot of speculation as to what LP6 is going to sound like. In the past two years, the band has been less than quiet playing ten-year-anniversary shows for Commit This To Memory, possibly the band’s most celebrated album. The band signed with Epitaph and their brief stint with Columbia, and created their own label for a couple 7-inch releases as well as their 2012 album, Go.Despite being in the band for almost two years, the new album will be Claudo Rivera’s first album with the band after drummer Tony Thaxton left in 2013. One things for sure, the band is known to keep their signature style while remaining anamorphic to their framework of sound. The new song “TKO” shines light on that new territory Motion City continues to flux with. One things for sure though, Motion City Soundtrack always delivers solid synth rock that is catchy and often too infectious to handle. -Jonathan Steinberg

Night Birds: TBA

Fall 2015, Fat Wreck Chords

There's not much information about the new Night Birds album, other than the fact that it has been recorded and we'll likely hear a track from it on the upcoming Fat Wreck Chords compilation. That said, based on the band's past output there's no reason not be pumped. Night Birds consistently churn out hardcore punk that's rooted in the past but feels fresher and more dynamic than most of what's out there today. It's menacing in the way punk used to be, and the band is worthy of all the praise they've received. -Adam Eisenberg

Red Dons: The Dead Hand of Tradition

Fall 2015, Deranged Records

The vast distances between band members mean Red Dons don't deliver a full-length very often, instead releasing shorter bursts of dark, moody punk rock. Knowing that there's a new record on the horizon is kind of like knowing you're getting a new bike for Christmas but realizing it's only May and you've still got a long wait ahead of you. You'll love every minute of it if the anticipation doesn't kill you first. -Adam Eisenberg

The Rentiers: Black Metal Yoga

Fall 2015, Baldy Longhair

The Rentiers is the shifting collection of musicians led by Joel Tannenbaum. Here is why they are great: First, every song is completely different than the one before it. Because there is no set lineup, the band is constantly evolving and shifting, and not in a linear pattern. Punk is about no rules and there certainly are no rules here. Second, a lot of the songs have that cold, Bob Dylan cynic meanness to them. You know how Bobbie D just completely eviscerated a crappy journalist with "Ballad of a Thin Man" through his powers of precise (and biting) observation? Yeah, Rentiers can do that, too. Will Black Metal Yoga be the thing that elevates and celebrates northern music and spiritual fitness, or will it be the thing that casts ruination on things of pretension? Such is the fickle finger of Rentiers… -John Gentile

Slayer: Repentless

Sept 11., Nuclear Blast

It’s been six years since Slayer’s last album, 2009’s World Painted Blood, and it’s safe to say things have changed just a bit with the metal titans. Since then, founding member and guitar hero Jeff Hanneman has passed away, while original drummer Dave Lombardo was fired over financial disagreements with the band on the eve of an Australian tour. The core of Kerry King and Tom Araya remains, however, and anticipation has been high amongst metal fans for the upcoming Slayer release. “When The Stillness Comes” and “Implode” have already been unleashed on the masses and the album will feature music previously written (albeit unfinished) by Hanneman (“Piano Wire”). Hanneman’s presence will also be felt in the title track, which King has described as an ode to the fallen guitarist, calling it “the Hannemanthem.” -Mark Little

The Tosspints: The Privateer

Aug 4., East Grand Records

The Tosspints have been slowly clawing their way to the top of the Celt-punk heap. Every album has been better than the last with 2013’s Have You Been Drinking? as their likely masterpiece. It featured epic tales of battle and conquest, and heartbreakingly personal songs of loss. The quality of the songwriting is what has made this band undeniably compelling. The Privateer will have a loose nautical theme as well as the bands normal songs about drinking, damnation and (occasionally) redemption. The challenge for the Saginaw, MI trio will be maintaining the intensity and quality of their last record. The Tosspints have set the bar very high for themselves, and there’s every reason to believe that this will be their most ambitious album to date. The Privateer is highly anticipated in Celt-punk circles, but also has the potential to draw fans of punk, folk, Americana or anyone who appreciates the art of songwriting. . -Tom Crandle

Frank Turner: Positive Songs for Negative People

Aug 7., Universal

“I knew I wanted it to be a live, raw record,” says Frank Turner about his upcoming album, the Butch Walker-produced Positive Songs for Negative People. Playing electric guitar on more than half the record, fans of Turner’s (and his backing band, The Sleeping Souls) have reason to be excited about the release, if not a little apprehensive. Since moving on from the loud hardcore noise of Million Dead to his solo career, Turner has been known more for songs built around an acoustic guitar, gradually incorporating more of a “band” element into his music as time has marched on. The first single, “The Next Storm,” has given a brief taste of the “live, raw” Frank Turner, (with a guest appearance in the video from CM Punk), with the fans being able to pick up the album proper on August 7. Says Turner, “[it] is a record about defiance, about picking yourself up when you’re down, and the title reflects that." -Mark Little

The Wonder Years: No Closer to Heaven

Sept. 4, Hopeless Records

It seems like The Wonder Years have made people completely forget that it was once a TV show about growing up. I mean, think of how much The Wonder Years have done in the second half of their ten-year career. Through three solid albums that fit into a trilogy of the trials and tribulations of fighting depression and finding happiness, the band has earned a loyal fan base and with good reason. At the end of 2014, The Wonder Years simply stated, “2015 better watch its back, because were coming for it.” Dan Campbell is a man of his word and we can only assume that their fifth LP will be a progression from where The Greatest Generation left off but with more power and raw emotion. The band has always focused more on the punk than the pop side of their pop punk sound and while the band knows where they stand, they have no problem pushing the boundaries of their genre as well as offering a helping hand to up and comers like they once were. To say that The Wonder Years are one of the biggest pop punk bands right now would be a true statement and with the pressure to follow some of the most solidly written pop punk albums in the last five years, the band doesn’t seem too worried. -Jonathan Steinberg

Worriers: Imaginary Life

Aug. 7, Don Giovanni Records

After a couple of shorter releases, Worriers is finally gracing us with a full-length later this year, and it's about damn time. The supergroup, led by Lauren Denitzio (The Measure [S.A.]) and featuring Rachel Rubino (Bridge and Tunnel, Open City) and Mikey Erg (Every band ever), cranks out catchy pop-punk with personal lyrics that offer a window into Denitzio's soul. If that's not enough, Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace handled production duties on the record, so its already got her stamp of approval. -Adam Eisenberg