Pop-punk is dead.

Okay, so maybe that isn’t as great or grand as the statement Nas made in 2007 about hip-hop, but it still applies here. Once a genre full of camaraderie, energy, and statements has become stale, as bands are more concerned with their neon clothes, swooping hair cuts, and which 17 year old groupie they are going to nail tonight. Pop punk is dead. And like Nas tried to resurrect his genre, we need a band that can breathe new life into pop-punk. 

This band is Valencia.

The band’s debut, 2005’s This Could Be A Possibility, was overall a good album, displaying themes and vibes that brought back memories of quality pop-punk, but their Columbia Records debut, We All Need A Reason To Believe takes the Philadelphia quintet’s sound to the next level. Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (We Are Scientists, Plain White T’s), We All Need A Reason To Believe features eleven tracks that are fast, raw, and pack an emotional punch the majority of the bands in the genre fail to generate.

Anyone who’s been paying attention to emo/punk e-zine message boards over the last few weeks has undoubtedly noticed a certain buzz regarding one relatively new, obscure band. With each passing day, the buzz has slowly grown louder and louder, as more and more people have chimed in, claming that “this band will be an instant favorite,” and that “pop punk has found its savior.” Signed to I Surrender Records, Rob Hitt of Midtown’s label, Valencia is the band underground pop punk lovers have been raving over lately—and for good reason. This Could Be a Possibility, Valencia’s debut album, is exactly the kick in the pants pop punk has needed for a while now.