I got my first taste of Bad Mechanics last year with their Must be a Suburb single. Their introduction to the world (and me) was a catchy, new wave style lampooning of suburban life. On the Precious Moments in the USA LP, we get much more of the same. (That’s a good thing!) With their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, the Chicago based duo continues to explore the absurdities of modern American life.

These are strange times we’re living in. Saying fuck the president

If you're looking for that end of summer gloomy surfy pop punk with deep meaning and intellect - look no further. Rochester's Total Yuppies pack in diverse songs that are invigorating and thought provoking. Their new EP entitled Care is sure to make you sing along whilst realizing you may connect with this band more than you think.

"Move The Rug" picks up right where Total Yuppies left off on their last EP, Pleasantries. the song kicks in with typical Yuppies fashion with

Canada's Alvvays shot to prominence with their 2014 self-titled record -- one of the best indie-dream-pop albums I've ever heard. Three years later, they're back with Polyvinyl doing the same, but this time around, Antisocialites is finely finessed to the point where it doesn't matter if you're a diehard fan or someone who's only just getting into them, you're in for quite an experience -- especially with vocalist Molly Rankin's siren-like voice leaving you fully entranced and teleport

The National have always been an emotionally heavy listen that resonates so differently with me now, in my 30's, than they did in my immature 20's. It's only now I can fully appreciate the depth, understanding and intensity of this band and Sleep Well Beast is a perfect example why. The band's seventh full-length documents, in detail, lead singer Matt Berninger's life being married to co-writer Carin Bresser, and what transpires is an angsty, real-world behind-the-scenes view into the

If you missed out on 2015's Black Coffee, Bad Habits then you missed out on one the best post-hardcore/punk records of all time. I'm still spinning that record to this very day and hearing that Choke Up was bringing Stormy Blue out this year was one of the most perfect ways to bookend 2017. Christmas, come early. 

While their previous LP was more brash and very much about wild hearts and the storm of youth, this new record focuses on the calm and the baby blue eyes at the

Before 2017, I was only vaguely aware of long running Ottawa pop-punk band The Riptides. Founded in 1998, most of their existence falls into a time when I wasn’t really listening to much pop-punk. I was a huge fan of the style in the early and mid 90’s, but that era ended for me about the time Larry Livermore left Lookout! Records. I still followed old favorites like Screeching Weasel and Parasites, but didn’t pay much attention to newer bands. I’ve spent the last few years trying to make up

Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are a band that only be described as an experience. Their artform transcends the typical instrumentalists out there and it's mostly due to how much inspiration, emotion and dreams they pack into songs that while lacking vocals, have so much energy embedded. After they scored Atomic last year, I dove back into their discography and to be honest, it felt wrong being away from it for so long. With Every Country's Sun constructed while the band was seclu