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The Receiving End of Sirens – “Weightless Underwater”
The Receiving End of Sirens have released “Weightless Underwater” on streaming platforms.
Read More “The Receiving End of Sirens – “Weightless Underwater””Interview: Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms
Brian Sella is a notoriously sweet guy. So sweet, in fact, that he doesn’t even correct me when I refer to his band’s new single as “Raindrops” rather than its correct title, “Raining.” When I ask him if he still gets nervous playing shows, he replies, “Oh, totally!” When I inform him that I’ve been doing interviews for three years now, but that I was still nervous to speak with him, he laughs.
“Oh, don’t worry about it! You’re a professional. That’s what you’ve gotta tell yourself.”
In the context of The Front Bottoms’ discography, Going Grey reflects Sella’s current “vibe,” a word he uses frequently in our conversation. As he’ll tell me, the band learned that an “anything goes” attitude in the studio can result in plenty of band and fan favorites. In this way, Going Grey is an expansion of the polished-yet-experimental sound of their 2015 powerhouse, Back on Top. It continues to analyze topics such as mortality, relationships and getting older – oftentimes within the same three-minute pop song.
John Nolan – “Half a Block to Go” Video
John Nolan has released a video for “Half a Block to Go.”
Social Distortion Announce Vinyl Reissue of Their Debut
Social Distortion have announced plans to reissue their debut LP, Mommy’s Little Monster, on vinyl via Craft Recordings for its 40th anniversary. Pre-orders are now up.
Read More “Social Distortion Announce Vinyl Reissue of Their Debut”Mark O’Connell Reportedly Leaves Taking Back Sunday
Eddie Reyes, formerly of Taking Back Sunday, recently mentioned on a podcast that Mark had was no longer in the band:
UPDATE • Jan 7, 2025”I just recently started speaking with Mark again, who’s apparently, uh, he walked away from, er, he’s not in the band anymore.”
Mark has confirmed this on Instagram.
Review: The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt
When an album breaks a band you love, it gets saddled with a lot of baggage. Most albums are just a chapter in a band’s existence; there were albums before and there will be albums after. But the elephant in the room that music fans like to ignore is that there will always, eventually, be a last album, and a lot of “last albums” aren’t conceived or built to serve that role. When careers cut short because of death, or petty disagreements, or a simple exhaustion of ideas, it’s not usually the poetic ride-off-into-the-sunset conclusion we’d hope for. And yet, despite the randomness that often plays into the endings of musical careers, us music fans obsess over the lore and mythology of our favorite artists so much that we end up conferring significance that isn’t there on albums that just so happen to come at the end of the story.
Such was the case, for years, with Get Hurt, the fifth LP from New Jersey rock band The Gaslight Anthem. Released in August 2014, Get Hurt had the distinction for nearly a decade of being the final album that The Gaslight Anthem ever made. And for me at least, it collected all the baggage, lore, and extra fascination such a distinction entails. A part of me hated the album for breaking up a band I loved, for wasting the boundless potential I’d heard in their music just two years earlier. Another part of me loved it for the mystique of it all – the question of what it was about this particular set of songs that drove these four guys to the brink and forced them to pull the ripcord. To this day, when I listen to Get Hurt, those two parts of me are still in the room together, coexisting – even though, now, the album has been freed from most of the weight it was once tasked with carrying.
Read More “The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt”Strung Out Remixing ‘Exile in Oblivion’
Strung Out announced they are remixing Exile in Oblivion and finished an unreleased song from that era.
Read More “Strung Out Remixing ‘Exile in Oblivion’”Review: Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal
Because time is a cruel beast, Never Take Friendship Personal has turned 20 years old and yet it still packs that same urgency of a band hungry for more. More exposure, more fans, and plenty more music! The record itself is as gripping as they come, especially in a scene where so many emo bands were exploding out of the gate and into the pages of magazines like Alternative Press. What set Anberlin apart from the pack was their ability to lean into the genre’s best parts: anthemic and heartfelt vocals, searing guitar parts, and well-constructed songs that made a lot of sense and still had a lasting impact on the listener.
I think the first time I heard the band name Anberlin was when I saw the young band take the stage in Baltimore, Maryland opening for Bayside. This must’ve been close to 2005, because I can vividly remember their set comprised almost entirely of material from Never Take Friendship Personal. I was instantly hooked on lead vocalist Stephen Christian’s energetic stage presence and his vocals were top-notch that evening. Later on that same weekend, I traveled to my local Best Buy to pick up a CD copy of the album, and I was immediately transported back to that fateful evening in Baltimore where I would discover one of my favorite bands of all time.
Read More “Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal”Interview: World’s First Cinema
Recently I was able to schedule an interview with Los Angeles-based duo, John Sinclair and Fil Thorpe, who go by the name of World’s First Cinema. In this interview, I asked them about the style of their music, how they do most of their songwriting, and their plans for touring. World’s First Cinema fit well in the realm of the theatrics of Panic! at the Disco, paired with the hooks of Motion City Soundtrack, but they really have a style that needs to be heard to get the full experience.
Read More “World’s First Cinema”Highly Suspect – “The 8th Of October (To August 17th)” (Song Premiere)
Today is a great day to share the new single from Highly Suspect called “The 8th Of October (To August 17th).” The track comes from the band’s forthcoming LP As Above, So Below that will be released on July 19th. The band is about to embark on a sold out U.S. tour this summer, and is looking forward to testing out their new material. If you’re enjoying the early listen to the new single, please consider pre-saving As Above, So Below here. I was also able to catch up with Highly Suspect’s front-man, Johnny Stevens, for a brief interview below.
Read More “Highly Suspect – “The 8th Of October (To August 17th)” (Song Premiere)”Jason Tate’s Top Albums of 2024
Here we are again sharing yet another best of list. We’ve been here before. You know the drill.
You can subscribe to my newsletter if you’re interested in a weekly rundown of the music and other entertainment I consume, and the staff compiled best of 2024 list can be found here.
Read More “Jason Tate’s Top Albums of 2024”Review: Silverstein – Antibloom
2025 is a major year for Silverstein for a litany of reasons. The band is celebrating 25 years of existence, they are currently on a comprehensive tour in support of this band anniversary, and they are planning to release not one, but two LPs this year. First on the docket is the brief, but extremely hard-hitting album called Antibloom. Silverstein recorded both parts of their ambitious two-part album in the deserts of Joshua Tree, CA, and it appeared to have a big impact on the five musicians. Shane Told shared, “Antibloom is a reference to the desert, the empty vastness, the harshness, something we experienced while making the record. This is not a concept record, the concept was making a record in this space, and while the lyrics/songs are not directly connected in any shape or form, the concept of death or mortality does appear a lot”. While some fans may be turned off by the short run time of Antibloom, it’s hard to not admit that this record features eight great songs that play off of each other brilliantly and accelerate the artistic development of Silverstein.
Read More “Silverstein – Antibloom”Queen of Jeans Announce New Album; Stream New Song
Queen of Jeans will release their new album, Dig Yourself, on March 30th. You can stream the lead single “More to Love” below and pre-orders are now up.
Read More “Queen of Jeans Announce New Album; Stream New Song”
Interview: Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves
Lead singer Conor Mason talk about Nothing But Thieves’ self-titled debut album, breaking through in the States, his Jeff Buckley influences, being part of the new wave of British rock, and going big on the upcoming second album.