Weekly Playlist #29: New Songs We Want To See On Warped Tour

In the time since last year's last year's festival, many bands have had time to churn out stellar tunes that will be making their Warped Tour debut this summer. Here are a few of them we can't wait to see!

CONTRIBUTOR:
[SH] Scott Heisel
[BK] Brian Kraus
[BM] Brittany Moseley
[JP] Jason Pettigrew
[CW] Cassie Whitt

BRING ME THE HORIZON – “Shadow Moses”

The pun gods reached out early in this song’s life to see that its super-serious, eternal, metaphysical content was thwarted to shell and back by the meme-worthy (and April Fool’s Day ready) Sandpit Turtle. So, basically what I’m hoping to see this year on Warped is: 1.) This excellent song from Sempiternal performed live and 2.) Dudes with flail-copter arms going bonkers in BMTH’s pit while dressed up as turtles. I’ll be at the Cleveland stop, and I’m not saying you should wear a sandpit turtle costume in what is likely to be 90-plus degree heat, but if you do, I’ll find you, and I’ll high-five you, because you. Are. Moshpit turtle. In all seriousness, I have a feeling that a crowd of people in a dirty parking lot shoving toward a stage fueled by momentum of the “This is sempiternal!” line from this song will be something powerful to behold. [CW]

THE CHARIOT – “In”

Atlanta slash-and-burn metalcore crew the Chariot are a rare breed of maniac, one that’s seemingly more vicious, destructive and uncompromising than anyone else that’s been around 10 years or longer (save for maybe the Dillinger Escape Plan). This two-minute-plus glassbomb from last year’s One Wing smells like burning chrome and apathy genocide, bolstered by an unrestrained demeanor that rivals summer heat when it comes to sheer oppression. I just hope Kevin Lyman budgeted for extra cleaning crews to hose down the parking lots of all the splattered brain meat after the Chariot blow unsuspecting casual spectators’ minds on this year’s Warped. [JP]

CITIZEN – “The Summer”

Citizen's throwback influences (alternative and grunge in particular) will put a little Woodstock ‘94 in this year's Warped. Let's just hope the mud hippies don't follow. Citizen are an emo-rock band at the core, not unlike Balance And Composureor Daylight. This style is so hot right now, and these guys are doing it justice. They chose “The Summer” as their first single from Youth either because it rules or that's just what season it is right now. It's the kind of song you binge on, mindlessly repeating even though you know it's bad for you and you'll get sick of it faster. Multi-tracked vocals teeter between a cavernous hum and in-your-face yell that remains melodic through its manpower. As pounding as the drop-tuned guitar tones are on record, they've got to sound 10 times louder live. [BK]

LETLIVE. – “Banshee (Ghost Fame)”

Vermin who work in radio would consider this first single from letlive.’s new album, The Blackest Beautiful, “the focus track.” But anyone who’s witnessed the LA post-hardcore outfit in the last two years knows that everything these guys do is to be focused on, because they bring power, as well as the great responsibility of how and when to dial it down. It’s near impossible to watch frontman Jason Aalon Butler set it off onstage without contracting sympathy pains: You just know that every torn ligament, dislocated joint or complex fracture he gives himself is in service to making you feel something. Letlive will be the breakout thrall of this year’s Warped. This writer wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if they sold out of all their merch on the first day of the tour. (Oh, yeah: The movie-within-the-video concept is pretty cool, as well.) [JP]

REAL FRIENDS – “Dead”

With an arsenal of suburban nostalgia, bitter hearts, basement energy and the snide vocal rasp of mid ‘00s the Starting Line, Real Friends are blowing up. The Chicago-based pop-punks have been hard at work, rapid-firing out releases like Transit successfully did before them. “Dead” is the battle cry on their new EP, Put Yourself Back Together, which dropped just in time for their stint on this year’s Warped Tour. Singer Dan Lambton comes out swinging (“Spit in my face/Tell me I didn't mean what I said/I'll take those words with me/When I'm dead”), pausing with his bandmates after it's off his chest, almost as if to take a collective breath. They exhale into familiar territory, their race-car verses weaving into catchy, jabbing choruses somehow made fresh all over again. [BK]

SILVERSTEIN “To Live And To Lose”

Silverstein haven't played the entire Warped Tour since, like, 2007 (which is seriously crazy to me), so I'm excited to see them bring the ruckus this summer. And while Warped sets are frequently packed with a band's “greatest hits” to keep the crowd's attention (and bodies) from wandering, I hope Silverstein work in a healthy amount of new material off This Is How The Wind Shifts, including my favorite track, the power ballad “To Live And To Lose.” It reminds me a ton of mid-period Brand New, with huge crests and swells, and some creative guitarwork in between the slugged-out power chords. Hey, Kevin Lyman: Put this band on as the sun is setting and order 'em to play this song, and I guarantee you'll get goose bumps. [SH]

THE STORY SO FAR – “Stifled”

Coming in at two minutes and 12 seconds, this song from the Northern California band’s latest album, What You Don’t See, is all about the struggles that come with being in a touring band and trying to maintain a relationship back home. (“Everything will be fine/Just gotta keep my mind on your bed and your bed on my mind” frontman Parker Cannon sings in the first verse.) Somber, real-life subject matter aside, “Stifled” is another stellar, mosh-pit ready, pop-punk jam from a young band who make the whole writing relatable music thing look incredibly easy. [BM]

THE SUMMER SET – “Legendary”

The Summer Set’s new disc is full of pop-rock gems ready for Warped (and radio) play, but the title track, a fervent ballad about being the best version of yourself, is the highlight of the album, and it’s just aching to be played in front of a mass of sweaty concert goers. Unlike many songs played at Warped Tour, “Legendary” isn’t a frenzied, upbeat pop song, and that’s exactly why they should play it. It’s a bit slower, thoughtful and slightly melancholy—and it’s one of the best songs the Summer Set have ever written. [BM]

THE WONDER YEARS – “I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral”

Okay, the odds of the Wonder Years playing the closing track off their superb new album, The Greatest Generation, is relatively slim—after all, the song is seven-and-a-half minutes long and features a massive coda comprised of lines from every other song on the record. Given your average Warped set is only 30 minutes, it's probably not wise to dedicate nearly a third of it to one track, no matter how awesome it is—but Soupy, if you're reading this, I'm begging of you: Try it out in Cleveland, please? [SH]