Every year at Punknews we like to pick out a few cool new bands and shine a spotlight on these up-and-comers. This year we've got a great crop of bands that are all over the punk map: Hardcore, power-pop, '77 punk, guy in flannel punk, anarcho-punk, and God-knows-what-else-punk. What unites them all is that they are AWESOME.
So, check out our list of new bands that we think are the bee's knees below. As always, this is not the "definitive list of cool new bands." It's just a selection of new bands that we think rock. By all means, add your pick in the comments below.
The Bloody Lips
The Bloody Lips are the first band to come from the the broken pieces of The Lippies. The Grand Rapids, MI based, foursome features former Lippies Kole and Taylor as well as Josh from The War Between. Singer Krystal is new to the scene, but it’s her hostile delivery that really defines the band’s sound. That sound has been accurately described as OFF! with a female singer. They avoid the gender politics of The Lippies and focus on more personal issues. The Bloody Lips released their debut full length B-Side Noise earlier this year and are headed out west on their first tour in May. Embrace your inner rage and check out The Bloody Lips. -Tom Trauma
Cliterati
Cliterati is a four piece hardcore band from Portland, OR. They are made up of former members of Poison Idea, Voetsek and Murderess. Imagine Poison Idea’s fastest stuff with Ami Lawless screaming over top of it. Their songs are political, hostile and confrontational. They released their self titled demo last year, and this year it got a proper pressing on seven inches of hot pink vinyl. They describe themselves as queer, straight, people of color and white. Cliterati seems like a band that could help fill the void left in your heart when G.L.O.S.S. broke up. -Tom Trauma
The Droogettes
What do you get when you take one of the world's greatest books and then transform it into one of the world's greatest movies and then transform it into an oi (ish) band? You get the Droogettes and they will blast you out of the room. To be fair, this isn't strictly Clockwork Orange adaptation- the quartet takes inspiration from that celluloid source and funnels it into a series of slamming punk, power-pop, and uk82 jams- and each one kicks ass. Check out "Bovver Girl" which is about girl that kicks the shit out of people with her boots. Likewise, this band doesn't need boots to kick the shit out of you. Their tuneage does all the heavy pummeling. -John Gentile
Ellen and the Degenerates
Whhhhhaaaaaaaat???!!! This band KICKS ASS. Flipping between first wave LA punk, east coast hardcore, and avant garde art damage like it ain't no thing, Ellen and the Degenerates are sharp, nasty, and clever. It doesn't hurt that they are really good at writing songs, too. EatD have a unique style that's as equally informed by their punk history lessons as they are contemporary mores. This is a band that makes you think- all while pumping your fist. -John Gentile
Family Pet
Lo-fi, grimey, three chord punk that questions and challenges societal norms! If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will, but here's a topper: these songs are built around a classic pop-rock formula, at times calling back to the Ramones, the Spits, and the Bay City Rollers. BLAM! -John Gentile
Medium Mystic
Medium Mystic is the lo-fi punk combo attack of Brenna Ehrlich and Morgan Enos. Taking the raw vitriol from bands like Bikini Kill and L7 and the warped art from bands like Liliput and the Slits, the band bashes out music that is as decidedly gnarly as it is skewed. This band plays with violence and intelligence, and it shows through in their abstract "Trashy FeasT" as it does their ragged cover of Bowie's "Bombers." -John Gentile
Natterers
UK hardcore up-and-comers Natterers released one hell of a debut EP on July 29, 2016. In just four tracks the band’s Demo ‘16 easily impresses fans of 80’s west coast hardcore with their updated edge and those that are politically active with their focus on environmentalism in their lyrics. For now Natterers have only played shows in their native country opening for major acts such as Adolescents, Discharge and Jeff Rosenstock, but for 2017 they already have more shows booked and on June 23, 2017 they released an absolutely killer 7-inch called Toxic Care through Boss Tunage Records and Serial Bowl Records. Do not miss out on Natterers! -Ricky Frankel
Paper Thin
Paper Thin is another band formed by Kole and Taylor from the ashes of The Lippies. The Grand Rapids, MI based five piece also features former members of local favorites Drug Dogs and Chernobyl Babies. Despite similarities with both The Lippies and The Bloody Lips, Paper Thin manages to carve out their own little piece of musical landscape. They play classic punk in the style of the Avengers, X-Ray Spex or the Buzzcocks. The band has only played a couple of shows, but is currently in the studio working on their debut. Expectations are high. -Tom Trauma
The Pathogens
Cinder Block! Jesse Luscious! Double vocal attack! Comprised of east bay punk champions, The Pathogens put their pedigree to excellent use. Taking the addled caginess of the first wave of Bay Area punk and injecting their own crust and pop-punk influences, The Pathogens are able to walk a tightrope anchored by heavy social messages on one end and whimsical chaos on the other. That is to say- this is punk. -John Gentile
Sneakers Award
Brian McGee of Plow United reaches back to the classic beats and bends his Boss-style ragged shout around the classic power-pop form. The result? Powerful, poppy tunes that drive serious themes into this bouncy style. That's no easy feat. The band is going on their first tour this Fall, so it's a good time to check this band at their nascent, but fiery stage. -John Gentile
VEIN
Energetic, captivating, intense, awe-inspiring; These words describe the in your face stylings of Massachusetts' Vein. With two EPs and a split under their belt, Vein has been moving with high velocity into the hardcore scene. Blending 90s screamo and occasional nu metal elements, Vein's music is a refreshingly groundbreaking showcase of hardcore with the likes of Code Orange and Converge. The band is set to embark on a full US tour with Backtrack and Twitching Tongues and also has an LP written that has yet to be recorded. This is the band you need right now. You've been warned. -Jon Brett
Westside Rebellion
Westside Rebellion is an excellent new Grand Rapids, MI based hardcore band that is made up of members better known for their other projects. Guitarist/vocalist Thomas Gun is a folk punk solo artist and is also the main man for long running horror punk favorites Murder Party!. (He’s also fronting a new band called 78 Revolutions Per Minute. In that band he’s joined by a couple guys from local folk punkers Bet On Rats, and they reconstruct the Thomas Gun solo acoustic songs.) Guitarist/vocalist Dead Eye Zack is an established folk punk solo act. Joseph Henry normally fronts the Holy Warheads. All three guys sing, and they have a healthy sense of humor (which is pretty refreshing for hardcore). If their debut EP is any indication, Westside Rebellion could soon eclipse their primary projects. -Tom Trauma