Review: The Starting Line – Eternal Youth

18 years. There’s something a bit romantic about the amount of time that it took The Starting Line to follow up 2007’s brilliant LP of Direction. While turning 18 years old seems to signify our final path towards adulthood and leaving our youth behind, the reality behind this landmark age is that our lives are just beginning. Eternal Youth comes at just the right moment in time for our scene that is experiencing another surge and resurgence with bands like Motion City Soundtrack, Yellowcard, and now The Starting Line making new music again that is both worthy of their past legacy, while simultaneously moving the needle of creativity forward in their musical journey. The Starting Line first arrived in the pop-punk scene with Say It Like You Mean It, a widely adored scene staple via Drive-Thru Records, and yet it made sense for the band to outgrow that genre with stylistic choices made on Based on a True Story and eventually Direction. Eternal Youth signifies the band recognizing that the pop-punk genre is reminiscent of, as Kenny Vasoli put it in an interview I conducted with him in 2022: “I do know that we’re a pop punk band. And it’s a genre that sort of represents nostalgia and eternal youth, which I’m totally able to appreciate.” Wait, did Kenny drop the name of his returning LP for all the world to see and we all missed it until now? Eternal Youth to me represents the best version of The Starting Line, and I’m so happy that they’re back.

Adam Grundy 2 months ago

There’s something to be said when a young band fully realizes their vision for their music right off the bat. Abandcalledlove has released their debut EP, called Thriving Season, that tackles the themes of resilience, addiction and recovery, paired with ultra-relatable elements like the complexities of relationships. The band was formed in early 2020 by Ryan Chandler Love (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Ian Joshua Riley (guitar/production), while later adding into the fold Blake Aldridge (guitar), Brooks Roberts (bass) and Austin Yagle (drums). “Thriving Season is exactly what its title suggests,” Love explains. “It represents growth, struggle, and finally learning how to embrace yourself and your surroundings. Every song carries a piece of that journey, and I think listeners will connect with the vulnerability as much as the energy.” By putting a strong first step forward, Abandcalledlove have delivered the music that is sure to win over plenty of new fans willing to take a chance on “love.”

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

Welcome to the pop-punk party, The Paradox! The band formed in June 2024, and is rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Eric Dangerfield, bassist Donald Bryant, lead guitarist/vocalist Xelan and drummer PC3. NSFW takes a blend of styles similar to Blink-182, Green Day, and Allister, all with a slick-sounding approach to their pop-punk attack. The Paradox are making an immediate impact on the scene with appearances at the latest iteration of the Vans Warped Tour and will be supporting All Time Low on their upcoming headlining tour of major venues across the U.S. While The Paradox lean heavily into the pop-punk bands they’re clearly influenced by here, NSFW is still a really fun debut from the Atlanta-based band.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

It’s a bit hard to believe that The Rub is the debut full-length record from Your Smith, since she’s been making music for several years. Alas, the long-awaited full artistic statement from the talented songwriter has arrived. After a series of events (the COVID-19 pandemic, starting a family) that led Caroline to step away from the music scene after her excellent last release, 2019’s Wild Wild Woman EP, The Rub finds Your Smith at her most focused, with a knack for crisp and picturesque songwriting. The Rub was recorded with a band at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN, and the record is largely centered around the theme of coming home and re-connecting with the people that make our lives the most worthwhile. The Rub tends to “rub” off on listeners in a great way, and it’s an album that deserves its moment in time.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

An indie band, comprised of the San Francisco-area brothers of Ray and Paul, have released their latest taste of music called Fading. The EP is brimming with the stylistic choices of surfer rock, paired with garage rock, all shimmering under the careful eyes of producer John Goodmanson (Weezer, Pavement), with additional tracks produced by Jarvis Taveniere. “These six songs reflect the past five years of our lives—love, heartbreak, sadness, doubt, confusion, and pain,” the duo of Ray and Paul shared. “They’ve shaped who we are and changed how we see the world and our music. We’re so grateful to finally share this with you and excited for what’s ahead.” With a slick sound that fits well in the same realm as Phantom Planet, Ash and Rooney, Ray and Paul showcase why they’re turning so many heads in 2025 and beyond.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

It’s so great to have Motion City Soundtrack back and making music again. Panic Stations was their last taste of music that the band offered, back in 2015, and now after the long hiatus, MCS sounds as refreshed and re-energized than they arguably have ever been. The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World feels like the most logical jumping off point from Motion City Soundtrack’s adored 2010 LP of My Dinosaur Life, and front-man Justin Pierre still remains his quirky and captivating self on this 11-song set produced by Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Punchline). “I think that if you look at a lot of our past records, it’s about ‘What’s wrong? What am I not getting right? Why do I feel fucking crazy? Why can’t I figure this out’…and I figured it out,” front-man Justin Pierre admits. “It’s almost like I felt I didn’t have an identity [in the past] and now by working through the hard stuff, I know who I am.” By finding comfort in the past noise and figuring out the person he wants to be moving forward, Justin Pierre and his other four bandmates have crated a record that not only lives up to the band’s legacy, but provides a reinvigorated look at Motion City Soundtrack as a whole.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

It’s both hard and easy to believe that Twenty One Pilots are at the point in their career where they have now released eight studio albums. The band have been scene mainstays since being signed to Fueled By Ramen records in 2012, and yet many casual fans don’t realize that Twenty One Pilots also released two other LPs in advance of their major label signing. Breach comes storming onto the rock scene brimming with a similar sound to TOP’s arsenal, and the new record is catchy, familiar, and filled with several key thematic callbacks to keep fans engaged. It’s been just over a year since Twenty One Pilots released their seventh studio album, Clancy, and Breach feels more confident, urgent, and moves the needle even further in a positive direction in TOP’s creative approach to blending so many genres in their music. The set was produced by Paul Meany, Mike Elizondo, and the band’s vocalist Tyler Joseph. The set was preceded by three singles in “The Contract,” “Drum Show” and most recently, the sprawling, bass-heavy opener of “City Walls” that was accompanied by a long-form music video of the five minute-plus song. Breach ultimately ends up being one of the most thrilling records, if not the most important album, since Twenty One Pilots first formed in 2009.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

When I first got wind of Silverstein deciding to release two albums in 2025, the fan in me was excited to see what the band would cook up during these sessions. The band worked closely together during the recording sessions in Joshua Tree, where they would look at the vastness and emptiness of the desert to put the framework behind the first part, Antibloom. On the second part of this ambitious double album project, Pink Moon resolidifies the fact that Silverstein are doing the whole post-hardcore, emo, and screamo genres a big favor by releasing such dynamic music during this era of the band that surpasses my wildest expectations from their debut in 2003, and is taking a well-deserved victory lap in their 25th year of existence. Pink Moon was first described to me by vocalist Shane Told, as having “a couple songs on the record are really kind of a throwback sort of sound where they could have been on Discovering the Waterfront.” This immediately piqued my interest in the second half of the project as a whole, and when I finally wrapped my ears around it for the first time, it solidified my feeling that Antibloom and Pink Moon are some of the band’s best and most urgent works of art to date.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

We all know the song by heart by now. “Step one, you say we need to talk / He walks, you say, ‘Sit down, it’s just a talk’ / He smiles politely back at you / You stare politely right on through,” are the lyrics fully ingrained in my head from the debut studio album from The Fray and their break-though single of the same name. How To Save A Life got a bit of an unfair shakedown from critics upon its release nearly 20 years ago today. Some critics went as far as saying the band “lacked originality”, but you have to remember what was going on in the Alt Rock scene at that time. Coldplay had already solidified themselves as major players with their first two records, Radiohead were releasing game-changing records left and right, and The Fray were coming onto the “soft rock” scene budding with promise and starry-eyed vision for their piano-laced music. How To Save A Life has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA, and it also became one of the all-time best-selling digital albums of that decade.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

The Boston-based pop-punk band, Boys Like Girls, released their first official live album yesterday called The Homecoming (Live From the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park), and it has just about everything you’d want from a live recording. Hit-filled setlist, check. Stadium-ready anthems from an adoring crowd, check. Surprise cover songs that reflect on the band’s humble beginnings to being major acts today, check. My first spin of the record left me with a big smile on my face as I couldn’t help but think about how far this pop-punk band has come, and re-solidified themselves as major players in the music scene as a whole. The repeat spins of the album reminded me of the magic that happens when a band leans further into that trademark sound that made me fall in love with their music in the first place, and delivers all over a career-spanning collection that is filled with over 30 tracks that clock in just under the two-hour mark, yet breezes by like no time has passed at all. It’s that enjoyable of a live record, and I’m so happy that Boys Like Girls have released this set.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

Shortly after the release of their excellent fifth studio album, The Maybe Man, the three brothers that make up experimental pop band AJR were dealing with some writer’s block. It’s an understandable feeling for an artist that has quickly pumped out so many noteworthy radio hits over their career. What No One’s Thinking is the result of what came out of these sessions after the band wrapped up their comprehensive and ambitious arena tour in support of their previous LP, and is a nod to AJR’s third EP of What Everyone’s Thinking. The sound that comes through the speakers on this latest effort is a bit of a departure from the slick experimental pop that the band has been come to be known for. Thematically, the EP tackles the topics of loss, fractured relationships, and saying goodbye to those we never thought we’d have to. While it’s great that AJR are trying new things at this stage of their career, it’s hard to not feel like a key element of their brand of music is missing on this EP.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

The sophomore album from Baltimore, Maryland-based R&B artist, Dijon, Baby feels like a force of nature. The record is equal parts a concept record, since it largely reflects on him becoming a first-time father, as much as it is an exploration of the power of soul/gospel, all put on blend in a stunning concoction. The LP was largely self-produced by Dijon, with a few collaborations from Andrew Sarlo, BJ Burton, and a frequent Dijon collaborator in Mk.gee. Dijon intricately weaves in old school hip-hop samples, stellar production, and a soulful, almost-gospel esque approach to his vocal performance that transcends genre lines along the way. Baby was released with no preceding singles, and is meant to be listened to from front to back to fully absorb what Dijon created here. Sophomore albums typically don’t blow away the competition as much as what Dijon has accomplished here, and the widespread critical acclaim of Baby is 100% justified. Dijon offers a mesmerizing combination of experimental hip-hop, rap, soul and R&B, in one of this year’s best albums to date.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

There’s something to be said when you can feel a beating heart behind a band’s music. That raw, emotional connection to the material is hard to come by these days, especially in the AI-era of music. Maryland’s own Have Mercy have returned with their most immediate material to date with The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been, that is packed with ultra-personal lyrics. “We’ve been waiting so long to show our fans what we’ve been working on. This feels like a new journey has started for our band. There’s no better way to kick start this album than releasing a song like ‘august 17’. It is an incredibly personal song that carries a lot of weight. It’s about loss and the continuing pain felt after someone is gone. It may hurt less over time, but it never stops hurting,” shared Brian Swindle, lead singer/guitarist of Have Mercy. By delving even deeper into stories of loss and trauma, Have Mercy simultaneously crafted their most personal, urgent, and best work to date on The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

It’s easy to see why Pinkshift were so happy for their sophomore LP, Earthkeeper, to see the light of day. This record is brimming with hopeful messages, and is paired with an ambitious and dynamic take on what punk music is and can sound like today. An “Earthkeeper” is “a reflection of universal consciousness and a protector of existence,” and the spacey artwork showcases the band’s lofty ambitions on taking their music to the next level. While their Hopeless Records’ debut, that was called Love Me Forever, was a raucous punk rock romp of a good time, Earthkeeper is a direct reaction to the world around this young three-piece band that has a lot on their minds. Singles like the abrasive “Anita Ride” and the punk rock energy found on “Evil Eye” are wisely stacked back to back in the early-going of the album sequencing, while vocalist Ashrita Kumar finds lightning in a bottle in a dynamic vocal performance. Earthkeeper is absolutely packed with heavy political themes, while still remaining true and authentic the band’s core values and spiritual beliefs that there is a bigger power at play.

Adam Grundy 3 months ago

There’s a comforting feeling behind Ellie Rowsell’s vocals. The front-woman of British rock band, Wolf Alice, captivates and charms all over the band’s fourth studio album, called The Clearing. The album itself was produced by veteran hit-maker Greg Kurstin (Foo Fighters, Jonas Brothers), and The Clearing has a bit of that classic rock feeling to it as you play it from front to back. From the upbeat piano found on the lead single of “Bloom Baby Bloom” that gave Wolf Alice fans a sense of the direction found on the band’s latest effort, to the stylistic choices made by the three other band members to connect things together, The Clearing wasn’t exactly the album I thought would follow after 2021’s Blue Weekend. Instead, the album plays out like a 70’s rock n’ roll romp, much like what Fleetwood Mac cut their teeth to during that decade, with mostly positive results. The LP’s strengths are found in the shimmering sheen and musical polish of “Just Two Girls” and the album closing single of “The Sofa,” while I initially had trouble connecting with the style of “Bloom Baby Bloom” when it released in mid-May. Wolf Alice are trying to develop their sound by looking towards the past for tried and true influences, and they can only hope that their fans are still with them on the latest detour in their trajectory.

Review: The Starting Line – Eternal Youth

Review: Abandcalledlove – Thriving Season

Review: The Paradox – NSFW

Review: Your Smith – The Rub

Review: Ray and Paul – Fading EP

Review: Motion City Soundtrack – The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World

Review: Twenty One Pilots – Breach

Review: Silverstein – Pink Moon

Review: The Fray – How To Save A Life

Review: Boys Like Girls – The Homecoming (Live From the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park)

Review: AJR – What No One’s Thinking

Review: Dijon – Baby

Review: Have Mercy – The Loneliest Place I’ve Ever Been

Review: Pinkshift – Earthkeeper

Review: Wolf Alice – The Clearing