QWAM

Brooklyn, NY Qwam is everything that’s right about modern punk rock. They take the power of first wave charge and bend it around an askew new wave vantage. Songs like “Mall” are about going to the mall because your shoes don’t fit while “Everybody Wants to Watch” is about living vicariously through the person you wish you were. The band is at turns whimsical and bleak, giving them an oft-nihilistic unpredictability that verges on sadistic. Also, sometimes they sound like No Doubt which rules because No Doubt is awesome. -John Gentile

Bandaid Brigade

Carlsbad, CA/New Orleans, LA
Zach Quinn of PEARS and Brian Wahlstrom of Gods Of Mount Olympus and Scorpios have teamed up to create Bandaid Brigade. Their very first album I’m Separate is an incredibly fun amalgamation of popular 80’s genres with both Zach and Brian’s respective styles added in to make it sound very modern. I’m Separate is not something that you would have necessarily expected, but you cannot help but appreciate it for its musical skill, overall uniqueness, and sense of humor, making it one of the biggest surprises of the year thus far. Quinn and Wahlstrom took a risk by going outside of their comfort zones with this release and it totally paid off. If you get the chance to see Bandaid Brigade live, do not pass on the opportunity. They put on a really fun show. -Ricky Frankel

Lung

Cincinnati, OH
Lung is a duo consisting of cellist and classically trained opera singer Kate Wakefield and drummer Daisy Caplain, who was a key member of the band Foxy Shazam. Despite lacking a guitarist, the band evokes memories of early grunge, post-rock, and noise rock. Their live show is truly a sight to behold as they bring more energy to the stage than many bands with more traditional rock instrumentation. Their most recent album, All the King’s Horses, is a layered blast of post punk, which evokes their left wing political views touching on national issues, done on a particularly evocative cover of David Bowie;s “I’m Afraid of Americans”, ones that hit closer to home on “Brock” which addresses the issues tied to the rapist Brock Turner, and they even turn the personal political on tracks like “Subhuman Nation”. Lung utilizes non-traditional punk instrumentation to create one of the most powerful, and unique, voices in the punk world today. -Johnathon Gallienne

Victory Garden

Lindenhurst, LI, NY Victory Garden is a model in evolution. After going through lineup changes, dormancy, and other stumbling blocks, the band finally got things together last year. After working in Duncan McDougal on vocals and locking in a name for the band, they released “Madeleine” which was a tremendous demo for the band. They combine the best elements of melodic hardcore and punk in crafting songs that are catchy as all get-out, ring with layered musicianship, and appeal to listeners across the underground. “Formal Clothes” takes the listener on a painful reflection of loss and solitude, while “How Am I Going to Function?” offers a light-hearted perspective on motivation and laziness (and maybe hangovers). It’s worth mentioning that there are three brothers in this band, the Smith boys, and I can’t help but find that super awesome. Lifetime and Saves the Day are the obvious comparisons here, but their live shows really pull out the more energetic side of the band too. -Mike Musilli

Catbite

Philadelphia, PA
For too many years, ska has undeservedly been the red-headed step child of punk rock! (Ok, maybe it was deserved). Never-the-less, Catbite is making it so that ska isn’t a four letter word any more! The band blends the simple energy of two-tone music with the punk snappiness of the more tasteful side of third wave. Also, singer Brittany Luna is a modern soul queen- just hear her give someone the kiss off on “Can’t give you love.” Not to mention guitarist Tim is equal parts Strummer, Jones, and Golding. Whereas ska used to be decried for being hollow and corny, Catbite is profoundly deep, genuine, and a hell of a lot of fun. -John Gentile

Ursula

Apple Valley, CA Ursula truly made a splash within the SoCal hardcore scene with their 2018 debut EP, Meet Is Murder. Their 2019 follow-up, Regurgitate shows that the band is truly onto something special. It includes an improved version of the band’s signature fusion of hardcore, crust punk, and metal style, along with an awesome cover of “Salvation” by The Cranberries. Hopefully we’ll get a full-length from Ursula soon as well as some North American tour dates. I was lucky enough to catch them live early last year and believe me, they put on one hell of a performance. -Ricky Frankel

Power Alone

California
Many of us were saddened with the break up of Rats In The Wall. But when one door closes, another one opens. Former RITW lead vocalist, Eva Hall is now fronting the brand new California hardcore band, Power Alone. Though we did get a couple of tracks and some details about the band in the second half of 2019, there wasn’t that much information released about the band until around the beginning of the new year. Power Alone’s debut full-length, Rather Be Alone wasn’t released digitally until February 28th, but for those who preordered the physical version, you were lucky enough to get it way before that. Seeing that Eva Hall was so great in Rats In The Wall, I took a chance and preordered a vinyl copy. After a first listen, I can happily report back that Rather Be Alone is a really great crust/harcore record that should absolutely not go unnoticed. Once it is fully released, I’m sure many will come to the same conclusion and the album will subsequently appear on a good amount of “Best of 2020” lists in December. -Ricky Frankel

Trash Knife

Philadelphia, PA
Here is how good of a band Trash Knife is: the first time I saw them, they made fun of me for reading about Star Wars on my cellphone. I HATED them immediately, before they even played. And then… they played. I still hated them for ragging on me, but deep down, I knew I loved them because they were, quite simply, perfect modern punk. The driving power of the Avengers, the sass of Circle Jerks, and the frantic chaos of the Slits. It took me a while to come around to this band if only because I had to reconcile my personal feelings with what I knew to be true- and here’s the truth: Trash Knife is the best kind of punk band.-John Gentile

Run Rabbit Run

Cincinnati, Ohiol
Run Rabbit Run, led by the perfect lyrics of Abby Finch, and supported by a band that could easily put these guys at the top of both pop punk and folk punk, are a band you are not going to want to miss in 2020. I managed to catch them at the end of 2019, and it only cemented the fact that not only can they record beautiful material, but also play a killer live show. Check out their most recent release, a split with Mr. Meaner called “Extra Dry EP” where Run Rabbit Run seem to steal the show! -David Wilkins

Sharp Knives

Lisbon, Portugal Sharp Knives have released one EP as of yet, and I have to say, that one EP has already made me a fan for life. Nay, a fiend for life. I want more! So much so that every show they’ve been playing, I’m scoping YouTube for a bad recording I can watch of the show, just to get my fix. This three piece has two amazing vocalists, Sara and Bruno, with Bruno also filling in on guitar, with a traditional spanish flair blasting through his punk riffs, and my favorite member of the band, Gui, does things with a washboard that most would not ever believe could be done. Definitely check out their debut EP “Property is Theft” -David Wilkins

Code of the Jaguar

Delco, PA
The punknews editors told me that this band includes a guy from Plow United. I don’t know that band, but I love this band. It’s like Leatherface and straight up rock. The songs are big and loud and they tell bitchin’ stories. “Three mile island” is about a nuclear meltdown! Whoa! I always rip that track when I’m delivering tire waste in Central PA and drive past the power plant. Check these tuneages out brother!-Gene the Van Guy

Daydrunks

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The place to start is “Go Birds!,'' one of two Daydrunks tracks featured on the Lazydrunks split EP with Lazy Eye. Notice the bassline, which not only anchors the song but gives it its bounce, its dynamics. Notice the way the vocals seem to be interacting directly with that bassline, like two singers harmonizing over their first heartbreak like overly-emotional theater teens. Notice the lyrics, which aren’t all that descriptive or even that plentiful, finding a way to corkscrew you (“I hope you find a home / where you won’t be alone.”) Consider the “woo!.” Consider that this is one of, oh, four songs the band has recorded to date. Consider that small shops like this always find a way to fall apart before really blooming. Consider getting out in front of that. This band fucks, then wants to journal about what it means after.-Churchill Downs

The ExBats

Somewhere in Arizona The Exbats are headed by pops and daughter Kenny and Inez McClain. If that reads as kind of weird, that’s good, because this band is kind of weird and that’s very good. At the forefront, the band makes no bones about their love of ‘60s am rock and first wave punk, and they blend those two things together like they are one in the same, churning out poppy tunes that are surprisingly vicious. (”Doorman” is about jumping the doorman because he won’t let you in the club.) But on top of that, the band sometimes put out tunes that are surprisingly universal and heartwarming, and sometimes they sing about being witches and doing witchy stuff. Recently, the band has refined their craft on the new Kicks, Hits, and Fits album and their songs are both immediate and timeless. These tracks might be precarious, but they are really, really fun. -John Gentile

Devil Master

Philadelphia, PA Devil Master plays balls-to-the-wall insanity all the time, everytime. It’s non-stop shredding, non-stop screeching, non-stop booming, and non-stop, well, everything. This band doesn’t play notes so much as massive waves of neo-burning spirits hardcore meets metal. Pure sonic evil. -John Gentile

Locked Inside

New York, New York
Locked Inside bring a great modern vibe to the straight-edge Revelation Records style of hardcore. Their pedigree is strong, boasting members of Mouthpiece and Search, On The Rise, and Bold. And while they’re barely a year old, Locked Inside have already offered up the blistering five- song EP Your Thoughts. Your Own. The band plays driving fast hardcore that bursts with energy, making great use of clever guitar harmonics and powerful drumming. They certainly draw from so many great straight-edge bands, and their sound makes that clear. But Locked Inside also offer a lot of ingenuitive elements in their songs as well, and are certainly a band that needs to be on the radar for hardcore heads. Mike Musilli

CapGun Heroes

Chicago, Illinois
CapGun Heroes are a five piece from Chicago that came out of nowhere with one of the most infectious EPs of 2020, entitled Who The Fuck Are These Dorks? Chances are, any fan of 90s Ramones-inspired pop punk will know them soon enough. The band incorporates all the best elements of the Queers, Ramones and Riverdales. Standout tracks to check out are “Judy” and “Story of You and Me.” Time to lace up your Converse All-Stars! -Jason Baygoodi

L.O.T.I.O.N.

New York City, NY
If the phrase “synth-crust-punk” doesn’t immediately win you over, I just don’t know what else to tell you. L.O.T.I.O.N. sounds like the futuristic robot battles in Terminator 2. They mix the aestetic of early Japanese hardcore with occult mysticism and madman cyborg ramblings to create malfunctioning punk-beats that snap between d-beat and industrial. Few bands sound truly fresh or truly dangerous, yet L.O.T.I.O.N. does both. -John Gentile

Dark Web

Philadelphia, PA
Driving robotic punk rock fury. Dark Web takes a page from the Spits and rampages forward with a robot tinge to their din. The band revels in ‘80s movie gore (“Toxic America” and is also really, really funny. For example, they totally jacked Black Sabbath’s idea for “Iron Man” and simply called it “Iron Man II.” The band is working on a new LP right now and if it’s half as good as the first one, this will be a year list contender, with it’s hardriving, lo-fi futuro punk smashing. (Real talk - I snatched up one of the second album pre-release cassettes and it’s actually even better than the first album). -John Gentile

Zorn

The cemetery Zorn carries out a coffin and then start shredding ina combination of hardcore and thrash metal. The lead singer jumps out and starts whipping people with a chain.They sing songs about John Constantine, trapping demons, and Rita Repulsa. Why are you still reading this? GO CHECK OUT THIS BAND RIGHT NOW. -John Gentile

7th Victim

Philadelphia, PA Rodney Anonymous has often seemed uncomfortable with the station of the Dead Milkmen- when fans fawn over the legendary band's first four records, he often rebukes them and tells them to go check out more modern stuff… and that more modern stuff is usually industrial. To that end, he formed 7th Victim with Janet Bressler. The band is a wonderfully weird mix of synth-punk, industrial, and avant-garde noise clash. The result is two kooks making spooky, aggressive robot music that has songs about worshiping snakes. It's clear that these two are truly in their element. -John Gentile