I like music.

No one can ever take away the legacy Four Year Strong has in their wake. Rise or Die Trying and Enemy of the world broke the Pop Punk mould. Bands across the planet emulated their heavy/catchy archetype. There's not generally much longevity in the scene, maybe 5-8 years and a couple albums. Well, Four Year Strong broke that mould too. They've been killing it for double that. ROD came out in 07, and probably blew out a speaker in every car I've owned since then. The work they've done with Will Putney on their sixth full length is no different. Absolutely full of catchy breakdowns, brutal rhythmic honesty, and a direct connection to my nineteen year old self through Pop Punk dipped in Hardcore. When Brain Pain starts, it starts with one of the best intro tracks since There, There by the wonder years; or Pawner by Polar Bear Club. This intro though feels a lot like they should be happy about where they are, but for some reason they don't. It feels like they're r...

Belmont. BELMONT! The first time I heard Belmont in 2016, I was absolutely stoked. It sounded like my dreams of Pop Punk were coming to fruition. Heavy, catchy and sad. Couldn't ask for more. Then they delivered two absolute bangers for singles, Step Aside and Water Weight. Then they put out their self titled full length and if I still had a walk-man, I'd have burnt that CD out by now. Now comes September 2019. One of the best unknown bands, signs to Pure Noise Records. This could either be good or bad for a band like Belmont. They could have "sold out" (as much as you can on an indie label) and shifted their sound up and go the "over produced" pop punk route. But instead, these absolute Pop Punk geniuses put out "By My Side" and I got a chance to catch it live, in Cologne, Germany. Holy Shit did they not disappoint. But let me get to Reflections. Somewhere along the line Belmont decided Hardcore, Math Rock, and Pop Punk wasn't enough. The...

This modern wave of Emo is flat out freaking awesome. I got to see Hot Mulligan in Texas and Philadelphia, and let me tell you their live show is exactly what you hope. They let it all out on stage. Singer Nathan Sanville is what you want from an Emo front man. Pure passion. Musically, they're always on point. Drummer Brandon Blakeley doesn't miss a beat. One thing that I always look out for is an artists gear, and both guitarists: Chris Freeman and Ryan Malisci both rock Reverend Guitars, so does bassist Garrett Willig. I don't attribute their skill at all to their instruments, but it's always awesome when a band like this takes their sound a little more seriously. It's easy to let Emo sound garage-y and unproduced, it's part of the aesthetic. These guys however, have cultivated a honed purity in their live show and they've brought it to their latest record "You'll Be Fine." Their 2018 full length debut, Pilot, turned plenty of heads. The...