May has been a bad month for weather, but a great month for music. With Slam Dunk, The Great Escape and Takedown behind us, we are basking in the glory of new albums from The Wonder Years, The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Front Bottoms (to name just a few). To celebrate, the staff here at Punktastic have pulled together some of the musical highlights from the past 30ish days.
The Wonder Years – ‘There, There’
The Wonder Years are to put it bluntly, the best pop-punk band around at the moment. ‘There, There’ combines everything that makes them perfect, heart on your sleeve, oh-so quotable lyricism, scream it out load melodies, and head banging energy. Get on it now. [CC]
Arcane Roots – ‘Hell & High Water’
Arcane Roots’ ‘Blood & Chemistry’ album is up there with the best album a UK band has released this year (and will probably stay in high regard until the closer of the year). ‘Hell & High Water’ showcases the band’s excellent grasp of dynamic tension, and the emotional and melodic maturity the band have achieved is staggering. [TA]
The Front Bottoms – ‘Twin Sized Mattress’
‘Twin Sized Mattress’ is a more subdued track from a band that are known for catchy hooks and tunes you can dance to, but I had this on repeat for weeks and weeks. It’s the bit towards the end ‘I wanna contribute to the chaos, I don’t wanna watch and then complain. I am through finding blame that is a decision that I have made’ where you can’t stop yourself from singing along. [MH]
The Dillinger Escape Plan – ‘One of Us Is the Killer’
Despite being the slowest song on the excellent album of the same name, ‘One of Us Is the Killer’ shows just how far The Dillinger Escape Plan have come. More mischievous than the fast-paced counterparts, the sway between styles and Greg Pucaiato’s menacing vocals are enough to put any listener on edge. [BT]
Deafheaven – ‘Dreamhouse’
Deafheaven are a black metal band that doesn’t come from Norway or burn churches, so black metal fans don’t really like them. If you like the dense sound of black metal, mixed with the rich textures of shoegaze, post-rock and early screamo, you will really like Deafheaven. New record Sunbather is jaw-droppingly incredible and doesn’t sound ANYTHING like The Wonder Years – check out “Dream House” below. [OC]
Marmozets – ‘Born Young And Free’
A BIG step up from this young Northern noisy lot. Frontwoman Becca Macintyre’s vocals are a big standout feature and it also features a big brutal breakdown to keep those who like a good mosh very happy indeed. [CM]
Ben Marwood – ‘Don’t Call It A Comeback’
Reading singer-songwriter Ben Marwood is an anti-folk hero and ‘Don’t Call It A Comeback’ is toe-tapplingly good. If you like your songwriting acoustic, overlook Marwood at your own peril. [CC]
Kids In Glass Houses – ‘Drive’
Kids In Glass Houses have been away for a while and this is the most triumphant return we could’ve hoped for. Their new album ‘Peace’ comes out in September and ‘Drive’ is our first taster. Aled’s voice sounds glorious and the chorus is unbelievable. LOVE. [LMW]
Captain We’re Sinking – ‘Brother’
The new Captain, We’re Sinking album is pretty much flawless, and ‘Brother’ best shows off what this album is about. Big songs, the kind you know will cause the crowd to go insane when they hear them live and the kind you know once you hear them once, you’ll be listening to them over and over all year. [MH]
Home Advantage – ‘Short Termism’
Huge, fast and summery. Those are the only three words that you need to describe ‘Short Termism’ keep an eye on these London boys because they’ve got a very exciting future ahead of them. [CM]
The Maine – ‘Happy’
The Maine are back with their new album, ‘Forever Halloween’, and ‘Happy’ is a great example of the beautiful songs on there. They sound as soulful as ever and if you like music that makes your heart hurt (in a good way), this one’s for you. [LMW]
The Wonder Years – ‘Teenage Parents’
It’s probably not that surprising that The Wonder Years are getting mentioned pretty heavily by our team this month. The Greatest Generation is a bit of a game changer, and the band have just laid waste to Slam Dunk Festival over the weekend. ‘Teenage Parents’ is my favourite slab from the new album, and is nothing short of fantastic. [TA]
Bloody Mammals – ‘Madam’
Recent Punktastic Introducing subjects Bloody  Mammals inject an urgency into ‘Madam’ that surpasses a lot of their heavier contemporaries. The middle section sounds truly pained, while bookended by a homage to the likes of Blackfish and Reuben. Excellent. [BT]
Daft Punk – ‘Get Lucky’
This song may be everywhere, but it’s pretty much the only thing I’ve listened to all May. Every year has its absolute belter of a pop anthem (recent examples including What Makes You Beautiful and Call Me Maybe) and this will be the track 2013 is remembered for. The new album may be a stinking turd, but this is a phenomenal song. Potaters gon’ potate. [OC]
See you next month!