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From Tuesday 12 June 2012

The King Blues – Long Live The Struggle

The recent implosion that preceded the release of what would become The King Blues’ final record has followed a rough few years for the band. Heading up bills at venues that seemed to grow only bigger, line up changes and distance put between them and the sound of songs

Monday 11 June 2012

Motion City Soundtrack – Go

Motion City Soundtrack are a band that have a lot to live up to. Each of their records have carried the ability to inspire or become a favourite, and they’re also rightly held up as some of the very best Pop Punk albums. They’re just one of those bands

Wednesday 06 June 2012

Summerlin – You Can’t Burn Out If You’re Not On Fire

Anyone familiar with the UK pop punk scene should hopefully be familiar with the Summerlin boys already. They’ve been stalwarts of the Yorkshire alternative scene since 2008 and their big pop hooks and shiny American sound have slowly but surely been converting the fans behind the scenes. This self-produced

Thursday 31 May 2012

The Downtown Struts – VICTORIA!

First impressions should be ignored. They’re deceptive and evil, and through routine consumption of “benefit of the doubt” you can achieve it… BUT the Downtown Struts made such a big first impression with their E.P ‘Sail The Seas Dry’ last year that it was really hard to ignore

The Audition – Chapter II

Following the end of their contractual obligations with Victory Records, The Audition have opted to self-release ‘Chapter II’ and, as inferred in the title, it brings about a fresh start for the Chicago based pop punkers. As a whole the record is a distinct move away from the more

Wednesday 23 May 2012

State Faults – Desolate Peaks

Coheed And Cambria. La Dispute. Blink-182. Placebo. What do they have in common? The statement “They would be good, if it weren’t for the singer’s voice”, to name but a few. State Faults are primed and ready to join this company with a record that musically hits all the

Tuesday 22 May 2012

DZ Deathrays – Bloodstreams

Towing the line between contemporary balls-out punk and hipster friendly pop-indie, the debut album by Brisbane based Aussie duo DZ Deathrays packs a powerful punch. This no-holds-barred attitude flows in the veins of the record, with every second throwing back to what you’d expect from basement parties in their native

Monday 21 May 2012

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly – Maps

Sam Duckworth, the driving force behind long time Punktastic favourites Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, is one busy man. Ignoring his frequent forays into political and ecological territory, he has dedicated himself to a hectic touring cycle and released five albums in as many years. In fact, it has

Thursday 17 May 2012

Daytrader – Twelve Years

Brooklyn’s DAYTRADER are a breath of fresh air, somewhat. You could argue that any band on Rise Records not coughing up chuggy metalcore would be refreshing, but DAYTRADER have something about them which gives them an alluring edge. It’s not like they have re-written the handbook in any way,

Middlenamekill – When Lions Fight Bears

The debut album by Wiltshire based four-piece Middlenamekill is distinctly old school. There has been a subtle but definite shift in the UK scene’s underground from the musical style of bands like Reuben and Hundred Reasons to the heavier bands of today. ‘When Lions Fight Bears’ style easily matches