Watermelon - No Laughing, No Crying

Chicago-based punk band Watermelon is gearing up to release their sophomore album, 'No Laughing, No Crying,' on vinyl via What’s for Breakfast? Records this October.

Watermelon writes three-chord pop punk bangers which explore themes of existentialism, mental illness, and having fun with your friends. It’s straightforward punk without the nonsense of guitar solos, pedal boards or trendy bullshit. Technical perfection takes a backseat to the heartfelt honesty of songs written in a trailer park bedroom.

TRSH - String Theory

TRSH exists in the tension between extremes, a tightrope walk that’s volatile and unpredictable yet built on intentional detail. The Springfield, MO quartet has blurred those lines since forming in 2021, childhood friends frustrated by false starts and determined to start a new project in what frontman Derek Berry calls a “last-ditch effort” to make their musical dreams a reality.

Saturday At Your Place - These Things Happen

There's a quiet sort of vulnerability throughout these things happen, the upcoming second album from Kalamazoo, MI emo trio saturdays at your place.

Out September 12, the band takes take everything that made their early material resonate—twinkly guitars, heart-on-sleeve songwriting, a distinctly Midwestern ache—and stretch it into something even more resonant.

Their new song, “what am I supposed to do?” is a mid tempo reflection on individuality and people-pleasing, combined with the emotional labor of keeping your head above water while on the road. 

Tired Radio - Hope In The Haze

"Hope in the Haze" is Tired Radio's debut album for Red Scare, and like many comrades that came before, this band is poised to make a great leap forward. They blast out raspy emo-punk anthems and draw comparisons to label alum MakeWar and Sincere Engineer. Ah, but are these young New Yorkers handsome and marketable? YES INDEED. Red Scare is so confident in these 10 songs they didn't even bother putting the band name or the album title on the front of the record. That takes some real stones, folks.

Algernon Cadwallader - Trying Not to Have a Thought

Trying Not to Have a Thought isn’t just the first Algernon Cadwallader album since 2011’s Parrot Flies. It’s also the first with their original lineup—vocalist-bassist Peter Helmis, guitarists Joe Reinhart and Colin Mahony, and drummer Nick Tazza—since Algernon’s seminal 2008 debut, Some Kind of Cadwallader. Shortly after that album was recorded—and long before it was heralded as a lodestar for the 2010s “emo revival”—Tazza and Mahony departed the band.

Ousted - How Do You Cope?

Baltimore, MD has one of the strongest hardcore scenes in America and the next band to watch coming out of the Charm City is Ousted. Having released a demo in 2023, Ousted now announce their first proper EP, How Do You Cope?, set for release September 19th on Ashtray Monument Records. Featuring members of Pulling Teeth, Ruiner, Neolithic, and Dosser, the band is crafting hardcore that strikes a perfect balance between urgent and melodious.

american television - You Are Not Alone

American Television is delivering a punchy dose of melodic punk rock to the Smartpunk Records roster with the announcement of their upcoming EP "You Are Not Alone" coming out on September 19. The skate-punk inspired anthems are driven by resilience and resistence that emphasize the transformative power of music. To celebrate the occasion, the band shared the title track. You can check it out here.

AFI - Silver Bleeds The Black Sun...

AFI announce their new album Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… due October 3rd via Run For Cover Records, today. Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… marks the twelfth album from AFI and will include the lead single “Behind the Clock,” which ushers in the bold new era for the iconic band. Alongside the new single, AFI share a music video directed by Gilbert Trejo.