If you nail your first full-length like Atlanta's Reconciler did, then you've got a damn good road ahead of you. A-F Records has done a spot-on job of giving gems over the years -- some old, some fresh -- but here, it's painfully obvious after just the first few tracks, they've struck gold. Think of bands like Red City Radio and Success, and that's the spiritual punk realm Reconciler swim in on Set Us Free.

It's intriguing how many good melodic punk bands are out these days

Like many things, there’s more to Kicker than first glance would suggest. And to that point, their third LP, Pure Drivel underscores this point in black. If you were just flipping through your iPod and lingered on a Kicker tune for 30 seconds or so, you’d probably figure that they were a band of punk and hardcore veterans saluting and dismantling the genre in equal measure. And that’s true, that’s what Kicker is- but that’s not all that Kicker is, by a mile.

Aft

Taking Back Sunday are a band I've listened to since high school, and with the release of their collection Twenty, as a 30 year dude now, I can safely say it's been a joy being hooked on them -- two decades under the influence.

Now, they're one of the few bands I'd leave the Caribbean to see anytime (along with Thursday), but lucky enough I've caught them in festivals in LA and Riot Fest (who are addicted to them too, it seems) which have probably given me my fill. Yet no

I sometimes wonder if it's a ancient DNA thing. My love of punk bands from the Netherlands that is. While I am a European mutt of various unknown origins, I do know I've got a good chunk of Dutch I've long been into NRA, Funeral Oration, Citizens Patrol, Vitamin X and a handful of others. This Means War! is the newest addition to that list. Like me, TMW! is actually only half Dutch, with the other half coming from Belgium. They more succinctly describe themselves as ‘punk from the lowlands’.

If you're looking for an indie/emo record to leave you in an existential crisis for the rest of the year, then look no further than Better Oblivion Community Center. The brainchild of Desaparecidos' Conor Oberst and someone whose artistic magic lured him in, Phoebe Bridgers (one of the songbirds of the next generation or nu-millennials), it's 1000% heart and soul and quite frankly, made for sipping whiskey as the sun sets on a Sunday afternoon when you're wondering what's your purpose for the we

I’ve made no attempt to hide my love of classic punk and hardcore. I’m especially happy when I find some (relatively) young guys like The Scants playing this style. The Grand Rapids, MI based trio has been on my radar for a couple of years now, and they’ve been teasing a full length for months. They finally unceremoniously dropped First Class Hacks on January 1st. In the middle of First Class Hacks is “Right Brigade”, a cover of the Bad Brains classic from their 1982 self titled

Tiny Moving Parts are a band that's grown on me from being "oh yeah, they're cool" to one of the most influential acts I listen to at present. There's something so unique about their brand of math/indie/emo that I haven't come across from any other band crossing these genres. With a 7" dropping out of the blue, it's a perfect way to start the year.

This Couch Is Long and Full of Friendship was the record that got me into them, but Celebrate remains the gold standard.

Josh Berwanger is easily one of the most underappreciated artists in music today. His first band to really catch traction was The Anniversary, an amazing band that put out two brilliant albums that could not possibly have sounded any less like each other. Their first album, Designing a Nervous Breakdown, was a synthpop/emo album, while the follow up, Your Majesty, was more of a Beatles-esque affair. Unfortunately, there were lots of rumors of discord in the band, and their li

If you're an emo fan like I am, then Mineral putting out new music in 2019 is something you probably still can't wrap your mind around. In the annals of the genre, this '90s band is considered a forefather, and as we all know, a band that came and went too soon. But come One Day When We Are Young: Mineral at 25, it's more than just a couple of songs to walk us down memory lane. Don't get me wrong, it's nostalgic but the book that accompanies it (written by Mischa Pearlman) is something th