Amber Ryann is as real as it gets when it comes to being an artist. The 28-year-old not only writes painfully raw songs about the trials and tribulations of her life but also is responsible for every sensory detail behind the greater artistic scope of her project. Ryann is a jack of all trades, a DIY professional if you will, who not only produces her own music but serves as the creative director behind her videos and merchandise. Through it all, Ryann has learned that she doesn’t need to depend on anyone but herself to make her dreams a reality, and as a result, her art is all the more authentic. 

Growing up with a hip-hop producer father, Ryann was exposed to music at an early age, and ever since, she’s been in pursuit of defining her sound. Ryann’s music incorporates everything from ‘90s R&B, dark electronics and trap to the visceral intensity of emo and hardcore. On lead single “Fall Apart,” Ryann dives deeper into her rock influences and incorporates organic sounds to soundtrack a painful and dark moment from her life this past year.

Read more: 11 alt icons of TV and film that shaped a generation of emos

Ryann shared her debut album, Even When It Falls Apart, this fall, a collection of deeply personal songs that will give listeners an inside look into her headspace through a story that’s unified by narrative-driven intros and outros. Ryann, who’s an outspoken champion for the LGBTQIA+ community, is already making an impact across her growing and dedicated fanbase, due in large part to her vulnerability and transparency — a clear sign that she will soon reach an even broader audience and continue to spread her mission in meaningful ways. 

Touching on your early roots, I understand that your father was a hip-hop producer. What was it like being surrounded by music at such a young age? 

I definitely learned the musical side from my dad. He was always on the grind up in the studio creating music 24/7. Bro was the type of guy that probably shouldn’t have even had kids. His version of babysitting us was being up in the studio just watching him work. Being around that, I gained a sense of work ethic and a love for creating music.

The emo and hardcore boom of the mid-2000s was a pivotal time for many artists who are now popping off, including you. What is it about this music scene specifically that inspired you so much? 

My biggest influence was definitely My Chemical Romance. They completely shifted my life entirely. Growing up, I was a lonely kid with not a lot of friends and was bullied in school. I had a hard time making sense of my world and my life, and I remember seeing them on MTV and hearing their first album, and feeling like I had a purpose and a place to belong. That sort of feeling within this scene has always been there and has always been for the people who feel like outcasts, which gave me a sense of belonging.

What was the inspiration behind your single “Fall Apart”? 

Going into writing it, I wanted to talk about something that had gone on in my personal life as of last year. My mom almost passed away. She got diagnosed with cancer, and we almost lost her due to complications of surgery. Going into this album, I wanted to create a story that conveyed what I had gone through from the top of the year to the end of the year. “Fall Apart” was based around those moments of feeling like I was losing control of everything around me, but then at the same time, I’m successfully pivoting through my career. It was a really conflicting period for me as an artist. For the first time, I felt disconnected from my art that was relevant at the time, and it was a lot of weight to carry. 

You’ve had your hands in every creative pot by producing your music, directing your videos and creating your own merchandise. Why is it important to be so involved in all aspects of your art, and how did you learn these different skills? 

I really learned how to be multifaceted purely out of necessity. It was a matter of, “I know no one is going to do this for me, and I know no one believes in this vision the way that I do, at least not right now, so I have to learn how to do this.” It then became a passion, and I can really control this narrative as an artist. I think it’s really empowering when it’s coming directly from the artist.

With all of these creative projects, what does a typical day look like for you? 

Complete chaos. [Laughs.] I usually wake up, edit content right away and respond to messages and a lot of engagement throughout the day. Usually, I get creative at night with music projects and collaborations. 

You’re such an outspoken champion for the LGBTQIA+ and POC communities. Have you begun to feel like your mission is starting to pay off? 

Definitely. I’ve had that moment where a fan has told me that my music saved their life, and that still doesn’t feel real. That’s how I felt about the bands I looked up to growing up, so those moments are surreal. It makes me emotional because it’s hard to believe that people are actually listening to my music, and it’s impacting them in a really real way.  

Obviously, everything is leading up to your debut album. What can we expect from this project? 

It’s definitely going to be a very genre-fluid album. It’s very raw and vulnerable. I didn’t hold back in any of the stories or lyricism. It’s also very cohesive, and what’s so interesting about releasing all of these singles right now is the fact that there are these outros and intros that might not be able to be comprehended right away by a first listener, but once you hear the album, it tells a really great story. I’m really excited to have people listen to it from top to bottom.

Read more: How the Callous Daoboys ramped up the chaos and catchiness with Celebrity Therapist

On the EP’s lead single “Free Ride,” the Higher have proved once again that they know their way around a strong chorus while penning witty lyrics that’ll stay in your head for days. Original members Seth Trotter (vocals) and Robert “Reggie” Ragan (guitar) have never sounded more in sync, and the resulting EP reflects a labor of love that’s both tailor-made for die-hard fans and progressive enough to reach a whole new audience.

The Higher have such a distinct sound where you incorporate everything from R&B, funk and emo. With that being said, what went into developing your signature sound?

SETH TROTTER: We all listen to a bit of everything. Myself and Reggie listen to a lot of R&B, and we definitely still listen to the bands that are similar to our genre, but we usually like something that has a little more funk to it. We didn’t go into it saying, “This is how we wanted to sound.” We just wrote the songs and sounds that came to us. With us being ’90s babies, we grew up on boy bands, and a lot of that got brought into the mix to go into the pop-rock emo sound that was prevalent in the scene that we were in. 

Your hometown of Las Vegas has always been a central part of your imagery and lyrics. What is it about the city that continues to inspire you so much? 

TROTTER: We go off the vibes that Vegas gives. When you live here, you get to see the city in a different light than a lot of people get to see. We lived it day in, day out. Vegas is the land of debauchery to celebrate and escape, which I will even say the title track “Elvis in Wonderland” is about. It’s about getting lost in the debauchery and lost in the moment while trying to have the best night of your life. 

ROBERT “REGGIE” RAGAN: Adding on to that, the On Fire record was when we really started to embrace Vegas as a theme in the music, and I think that had to do with touring, going to other cities and realizing that we live in a really great city. 

[Photo by Alex Bemis]

Seth, if I’m not mistaken, you perform on Freemont Street in Vegas quite often with a cover band, right? 

TROTTER: I do the cover band thing all the time. It’s something that happened after our band [went on hiatus] because I wanted to keep singing. It’s fun to experience the people you run into, and it’s just a different world. We do everything from top 40 ‘90s stuff and hip-hop to classic rock. 

Elvis in Wonderland is your first new music in over 12 years. What was the journey like? 

TROTTER: It was very collaborative, and that has always been in our DNA. With this record, each song was written by a collaborative group of our bandmates, old bandmates and our producers. What’s great about this new record is that COVID inspired the band to reunite. We all had this time where we weren’t working, but were all writing separately and decided to meet up together in LA to see what would come. We wrote probably an album’s worth of music and took the best five that we felt were the most finished products, and I will say that all of these songs are cohesive with that the Higher sound but also different. 

What did it feel like to get back into a jam space together for the first time in so long? 

TROTTER: We felt really old. [Laughs.] 

RAGAN: In all seriousness, it felt good. It was like riding a bicycle. We all were just ready to get these ideas to the finish line. “Free Ride” was done in 10 hours. 

What are you looking forward to most about your upcoming tour this fall with your scene counterparts Anarbor? 

RAGAN: Seeing old faces. We have so many fans that have been hitting us up on Instagram, so we’re just excited to see the old fans coming out. Anarbor is gonna draw people, and we’re excited to also make new fans. 

TROTTER: We’re both big fans of Anarbor, so when the opportunity came, we knew it was a perfect fit for us. I think our band still has that sound that will draw some of the newer fans while also giving a rebirth to the Higher’s older music as well.

Can you recall the most surreal moment you experienced in your career? 

RAGAN: We were playing a show in Tokyo, and myself and the drummer were walking around in Shibuya. There was a big video board up with music videos playing, and I remember saying, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we were up there?” Literally, it was like somebody heard me and our video popped up. This was like 2007 so I didn’t have a smartphone to take a video of it, but we were literally on the biggest screen in the most populated area of Tokyo. 

TROTTER: The screen was on the three-story Tower Records. Just seeing our CD on the endcap with the cardboard cutouts, we really felt like we came a long way. 

This year, Sound and Fury’s triumphant return took place at a far larger venue than ever before. Held at Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, the event boasted an expansive lineup of 30-plus acts that not only featured some of the genre’s most seasoned and accomplished acts (Terror, Gods Hate, Drug Church, Angel Du$t) but also reflected the current state of hardcore — one that’s grown exponentially since the 2019 festival. Even in the midst of a pandemic, hardcore felt like it was at its most fruitful and evolved state while going through a major resurgence, which signaled that the genre was beginning to experience its next major crossover. 

Read more: Meet Koyo, the Long Island quintet at the forefront of the melodic hardcore and emo revival

Breakout acts included bands such as Anxious, Koyo, Zulu, Scowl, No Pressure and One Step Closer, who wear their influences on their sleeves but push the genre forward in exciting and progressive ways, all of whom performed at this year’s festival. Notably, hardcore began to diversify and hone in on the importance of representation with powerful POC-led groups, female-identifying front persons and groups that echoed the sentiments of meaningful change and action.

2022’s Sound and Fury felt like the true embodiment of the new face of hardcore, with all walks of life in attendance, showing that hardcore at its roots is for everyone and will continue to be a safe, welcoming space for all. What’s more, hardcore will continue to grow and evolve while defying any exclusivity or pretentiousness that was often present in the past. 

Additionally, Sound and Fury was co-presented by Brain Dead, an alternative streetwear brand that’s at the forefront of the intersection between music, skateboarding, fashion and high art. Fans lined up in droves to secure festival-exclusive merchandise at their impressive pop-up shop on the festival grounds. In addition to the shopping experience, crowd-goers were also treated to a traveling arcade experience courtesy of Brain Dead, which boasted several video game machines that allowed everyone a chance to join the fun. 

Significantly, there was an abundance of celebrations, rebirths, and somber goodbyes. On one hand, many in attendance and onstage basked in the return of a beloved music festival and live music in general, but on the other hand, it was impossible not to celebrate how amazing it was to see hardcore at such an elevated state. Many bands were given the opportunity to play in front of some of the largest crowds they’ve ever seen, paired with the genre’s recent uptick in popularity and exposure to a broader audience.

Read more: Zulu: “The best part about music is that you can do whatever you want with it”

It was of course heartwarming to see the reunion of two of the festival’s most left-field groups — Superheaven and Pity Sex — both of which play a blend of shoegaze and ‘90s-tinged grunge, a stark contrast to the heavy majority of acts, who abruptly disbanded in the mid-2010s. Despite the sonic shift, both bands were warmly received and put on emotionally driven sets that clearly show that neither has missed a beat. 

In the midst of reunions came a somber goodbye to one of the genre’s brightest groups, Gulch, who announced that Sound and Fury would be their final West Coast show. Fittingly, they closed out the two-day festival on Sunday night with a visceral, chaotic set that sent seismic waves across the festival grounds. Gulch played their set harder than ever knowing that it would be their last, and the thousands of fans didn’t take the moment for granted, with a sea of crowd-surfing, mosh pits from every direction and extreme stage-diving. Gulch showed that you can go out with not only grace and style but most certainly a massive bang. 

As the festival came to a close, it truly felt like the hardcore community was a part of something bigger than the music. It’s safe to assume as people made their way back to their cars and proceeded on the commute home that they would be left with lasting memories and immediate anticipation for what next year’s festival might bring. One thing is for sure: Sound and Fury is here to stay, and one can only imagine the heights it will reach in the years to come. —Alessandro DeCaro

Relive Sound and Fury Festival and witness the new face of hardcore

Rebecca Lader

Anxious

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Anxious

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Koyo

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Koyo

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Scowl

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Scowl

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No Pressure

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No Pressure

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Angel Du$t

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Angel Du$t

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God’s Hate

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God’s Hate

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Superheaven

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Superheaven

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Superheaven

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Pity Sex

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Pity Sex

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Pity Sex

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Terror

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Terror

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Terror

Long before her days as a restauranteur, Daking was the co-vocalist and guitarist for the acclaimed Southern California punk group F-Minus. The band released several beloved albums for the legendary Hellcat Records, which was founded by Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. From the time Daking joined the band at the age of 17, she was a force to be reckoned with, thanks to her visceral vocal style and transparent lyrics. During the band’s career, spanning the mid-‘90s to the early 2000s, she toured the world alongside classic punk acts including AFI, H2O, Tiger Army and Strike Anywhere. When the group disbanded in 2004, Daking knew it was time to make the pivot from punk rocker to chef extraordinaire. 

Read more: How Tara Punzone created a vegan Italian empire with Pura Vita

Opening in 2014 in the eccentric neighborhood of Highland Park, Kitchen Mouse has become a flagship staple on the iconic stretch of Figueroa Street that draws a diverse crowd from local Angelinos to musicians and creatives, with a robust celebrity presence in the entertainment industry. It’s no coincidence that fellow vegan and music superstar Billie Eilish is known to frequent the chic and minimalistic cafe regularly.

Offering an abundance of vegetarian and vegan-friendly food items, ranging from snickerdoodle pancakes to chilaquiles, Kitchen Mouse shows that health-conscious food can be delicious and accessible to people of all diets. While Daking has since hung up her guitar and left the stage, she’s certainly still immersed in the scene she came from, albeit through a different avenue. Daking has created a friendly and inviting atmosphere with her restaurant, which has allowed Kitchen Mouse to curate meaningful experiences and shape the community around it. 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but did Kitchen Mouse initially start out as a catering operation? 

Yeah, it all happened really fast for me. I decided to go to culinary school when I was playing in bands at the time. I had just started bouncing around working at different restaurants, doing private chef work and really just figuring out where I wanted to land. However, I was almost certain that I didn’t want to have a restaurant. My husband was on tour at the time and met someone backstage who was a producer, and she ended up calling me to cater a photoshoot. I didn’t know how to do that, but I figured it out, and it went really well. I specifically started catering photo shoots, and it took off so quickly that it became very clear that I needed to get out of my house and into a kitchen.

At what point did you end up in the building Kitchen Mouse currently occupies in Highland Park? 

The space was an empty, old check-cashing space. I went to look at the space, and it was so cheap at the time, but the landlord said, “I do nothing, and you have to pay for everything,” so I came in and did a bare-bones buildout on the kitchen. This was initially just to get the catering out of my house, but I learned that when you rent a storefront with a kitchen, you actually have to open the front of the house with a retail food permit. I had a set designer from one of the photo shoots I was on give me advice on how to do the tables, and when we opened, it took off. It was a wild time, and I had my first kid three weeks after we opened. 

[Photo by Chelsea Rose]

With Kitchen Mouse opening in 2014, I feel like you were super early on the Highland Park hype train that has now exploded with so many amazing restaurants and small businesses popping up. 

Back then, it was really possible for independent business owners to rent a space. Now, you can’t come to Figueroa Street without money to pay for the rent as it’s a totally different game now. I already lived in the neighborhood, so it didn’t feel unfamiliar to me. 

What do you think makes Highland Park such a special community? 

I love that it feels like a small town. I grew up in New York, and all of the neighborhoods are just like this. There’s a train that runs through town, a main street and a lot of independently run businesses. There are not many chain stores here, and this neighborhood just has so much heart and soul. There are so many communities and experiences to have right here.

[Photo by Chelsea Rose]

Switching gears, I want to go back in time and discuss your stint as one of the guitarists and vocalists of F-Minus. Obviously, the band are beloved within the punk and hardcore communities. With you being from New York and the band being based in Southern California, how did you end up joining? 

I moved to Boston when I was 17 years old because I skipped a year of high school to go to college there. I met the other singer of F-Minus, Brad Logan, outside of CBGB in New York, and I played him the demo of my band at the time. He called me one day after that and asked me if I wanted to move to California and join his band, so I flew from Boston to Los Angeles at 17 years old to meet up with him. He was living with Tim Armstrong and Brody Dalle [The Distillers] at the time, and I moved into their house for two weeks which was when we made that first record. It was such a crazy and surreal experience. It’s funny because when we went to our first practice before going into the studio, I had never actually played with him before — it was just a really big leap of faith on his part. I got along really well with everyone, and we ended up doing the band for six years together.

Even while touring extensively with the band, did you always have a love for food and cooking? 

I’ve always been really into food and cooking. My parents were both musicians who were also really into cooking. Growing up in New York, they were really into going to restaurants and trying new food, and we always had professional cooking equipment in our kitchen at home. My mom had a bakery at one point. My mom catered parties, and at one point my parents owned a recording studio where they would cook for all of the bands who came in. One of my first jobs out of culinary school was actually at a recording studio, as well as cooking food for the bands. It was at Shangri-La out in Malibu at Rick Rubin’s studio. It was a wonderful experience. 

Have you noticed any correlation between touring in a band and running a restaurant? 

Absolutely, it’s a bunch of people being shoved into tight quarters working together. Not to mention the fact that so many of the people who work here are ex-musicians or current musicians who have a job. When you’re in a band, so little of it is actually about the music, and when you own a restaurant, so little of it is about the food. There are so many other things going on.

There seems to be a really strong musician clientele that supports the restaurant as well. Is there anyone you would like to shout out?

Kate Nash comes all the time. Billie Eilish is a regular and still gives us so much love and support with our catering as well. Lots of punk bands come through and just so many interesting people come through the doors, which excites us all. 

[Photo by Chelsea Rose]

With Kitchen Mouse being a vegetarian and primarily vegan-leaning restaurant, what went into developing the menu? Are you a vegetarian yourself? 

I am actually not anything. I don’t limit myself in any way, but I do mostly eat vegetarian. On my first tour at 18 with H2O, I always remember Toby Morse opening his suitcase that was filled with vegan hot dogs. I was a vegetarian all throughout my 20s. We toured with AFI and all of these bands who were vegan, so I was always going to vegan restaurants. I have always wanted to go against the grain and cater to an underserved market that needs more options. Once I got into the food industry and saw the volume of food, I knew I would rather keep it as plant-based as possible for my own conscience. It’s such a fun opportunity to expose so many different people to delicious vegetarian and vegan food. I like the challenge and creativity that comes with making really delicious food without dairy or meat and minimizing our impact on those areas. 

What are some of your favorite items on the menu?

I go through phases where I come up with something and eat it a lot, but then I get totally burnt out on it, just like a song. Every now and then I go back and eat things I haven’t tried in years like the original Moros Cakes, Gomasio Cakes and the TLT [tempeh, lettuce, tomato]. 

[Photo by Chelsea Rose]

What does the future hold for Kitchen Mouse? 

We’re doing a walk-up window location in Mount Washington. It’s going to be a mini version of Kitchen Mouse with coffee, baked goods, breakfast items and to-go foods. It’s all about being easy, quick, small and cute, all while servicing a different community. We’re really excited about it. If we’re able to succeed in these little spaces, we’re definitely looking to expand into more micro-retail spots around town. 

F-Minus disbanded 18 years ago. Obviously, you have taken a considerable amount of time off from performing, but have you wanted to dive back into music again? 

I haven’t begun to dive back into it again, but I will say that I think about it more. If and when I decide to do it again, and the further I get away from it where it’s just this distant memory, I’m more and more grateful that I even had the opportunity to travel and make music. Getting to do the band was such a special opportunity, and I still have so many friends from those days.

Now in 2022, Tinnesz is set to release his long-awaited new album, arriving this fall, with several of its singles already being released to the masses. A standout single is “Bittersweet,” which features Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional, and the track couldn’t be more perfect for a summer playlist with its youthful energy and nostalgic influences at the forefront. In describing his overall sound as an artist, Tinnesz says, “The music is late ’90s, Weezer meets Nirvana, with a don’t give a shit hip-hop attitude to it,” a description that couldn’t be more accurate with Tinnesz’s sincere yet playful approach to songwriting. With his latest single “Sometimes People Suck,” Tinnesz has captured the most all-encompassing taste of what his music represents with catchy choruses, sarcasm and the ability to not take himself too seriously. 

Read more: Dashboard Confessional releases ’All The Truth That I Could Tell’–interview

If you’ve never heard of Tinnesz before, it’s likely that he will soon become a household name through his sheer relatability and overall positive demeanor. 2022 will certainly be the year to kick off a long and fruitful journey for Tinnesz. We sat down with Tinnesz for an in-depth interview to discuss his influences, songwriting process, and how his journey is just beginning. 

As a songwriter, you are no stranger to tackling many different genres of music. What were some of your early influences? 

It’s funny because now I feel like I know a lot of the people who influenced me. As a kid, I thought these people were super tough and cool. However, when I met Brian Head, who plays guitar for Korn, he was so nice. I loved Nine Inch Nails and Filter. On the more pop side, I listened to a lot of Everclear and Weezer. 

Something important to highlight from your story is your background in writing songs for other artists of various genres over the years. How did you find yourself presented with these opportunities?  

It’s crazy. I was typically the third in the room where you would have the artist, producer and then myself as the guy in the corner bringing the creative energy. I feel like that was always my job. I met a lot of random people along the way who I guess I was just buddies with. I randomly met Josh Farro and Zac Farro when they left Paramore, and from there, we started working together. I don’t think I realized I was good at lyrics and melodies until I met Josh. The more that I met people like them, the word would start to spread. I feel like it’s all about having friends who are artists and showing them stuff. 

What was the transition like from being more behind the scenes to now being an established solo artist yourself? 

I got reinspired to do my own artist stuff when I was working with a singer named Ruelle, and watching everything start from ground zero to 100 was just so inspiring and made me miss singing on stuff. A lot of ideas I had, people would be like, “Those are weird lyrics. I don’t want to put that in my song,” and so I had to be like, “OK, I’m gonna save that for later then.” [Laughs.] 

How did you link up with Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional for your recent single “Bittersweet”? 

I’ve always been a fan of Chris [Carrabba] and his bands, whether that was Further Seems Forever or Dashboard Confessional. My old band was on the same management team as Chris, and they were like, “Chris is really down to co-write, so why don’t you get together with him and show each other some music?” So I randomly met him at his house and played him some of my new stuff at the time. He played me some songs from one of his upcoming records, and I was just like, “How does a guy like this still write such amazing songs for this long?” There’s always a point where certain artists fall off and stop writing great songs because they have nothing to write about anymore, but for him, he still writes such great songs. We lost touch during the COVID-19 pandemic and when he had his unfortunate accident, but we randomly reconnected at a skatepark, which is so funny. 

That feels really serendipitous considering that the music video for “Bittersweet” takes place at a skatepark as well. With that being said, did you envision having him feature on the song as you were beginning the writing process?

The coolest thing that happened from meeting Chris at the skatepark was sending him what I had so far of the record that I’m putting out, and when he heard it, he was like, “Dude, I love this stuff, and if you ever need help writing, let me know,” and I was not about to tell Chris Carrabba no. [Laughs.] I got Chris and my buddy Seth Mosley, who is a producer in town, together, and I knew it would be a killer combination. After we wrote the song, Chris was so pumped, and I asked him if he would sing on it as well. He threw his vocals on the chorus harmonies and the second verse. It was just a wild experience. 

Do you plan to perform the song live together at some point? 

I never like to assume anything, but that is definitely in the back of my mind. Especially after the music video where we are performing off of each other, it really was a moment where I low-key was like, “No big deal, I just have Chris Carrabba with my band in a music video,” and I know it would be so cool to actually perform it live together. I was teasing Chris about it, and he was like, “You’re gonna be on the road with me in no time,” so I hope we can make it happen. 

As a father and husband, how does family play a role in your life and music? 

Honestly, even with “Bittersweet” in particular, a lot of people took it as love being bittersweet, which is so right, and I love that people can have their own interpretation of it, but this song is actually about being a musician who tours and is away from their family. I can be on this amazing tour in a venue in London where everyone is singing the words back, which is an incredible experience, but when my family isn’t there, it’s a bittersweet feeling having fun but not having the people I love with me. When I get my kids ready for bed at night, I’ll think of lyrics or listen to tracks, and I don’t know what it is, but I always get the best lyrical content that’s the most authentic around people that I love. It definitely makes me work harder and makes every moment matter. It also gives me so much more to write about, and though it’s sometimes hard to have a family, it’s also beautiful. 

With your music having such powerful hooks and pop sensibilities, it doesn’t surprise me how many times it’s been synced for TV, movies and video games such as Batwoman and Apex Legends throughout the years. How did these opportunities come about? 

It’s wild because when I first started writing in this alternative space with Ruelle, we created this dark-cinematic sound with the vocals, and I felt like we were some of the only ones doing that, so that stuff just kept getting synced over and over again. Because of that, since my name was attached to those songs, people became more familiar with my music, and a lot of people sent my songs to shows. When I write, I definitely visualize what I’m writing about in my head, so it makes sense that my music would be good set to picture. I love watching movies or TV shows to steal ideas or lines and make them into a song because if it’s cool enough to be a pinnacle moment in a TV show, then it has to be cool enough for a song. Licensing companies help me a lot to get my music out there, and I never knew that these kinds of opportunities existed beforehand. It’s been life-changing, and so many people have found me through this. I’m just so thankful for what’s happened so far. 

It’s amazing to see all of these opportunities come your way from being an authentic artist who’s doing exactly what they want to do. You’re not trying to come off as a “rock star” or an “attention seeker.” You are just focused on putting out personal music and not taking yourself too seriously.  

I was teasing my friend the other day when I showed her the music video for my new single “Sometimes People Suck.” In it, I’m wearing a bunch of wigs and funny clothing in front of a green screen, and she was like, “I like that you don’t take yourself too seriously and be goofy with it.” I told her, “You’re either a thirst trap or a dork that can make people laugh.” I’m definitely not a thirst trap, so I gotta go with the second one. [Laughs.] 

What’s in store for the rest of the year? Any plans for a full-length? 

Because of how everything is with streaming, it’s more important for songs to come out one at a time. All these tracks are my “song babies,” so I don’t want to just throw them out as one big grouping. I’m putting out singles from now until October when the record is officially released. The next single coming out is with a guy named Bryce Fox, and then we are actually going to do a small tour to support the record in September and October when the record drops. I want to do a music video for every song because that’s just what this world is; just people death-scrolling until they fall asleep. I want to be in people’s death-scrolls or else I don’t exist. 

Read more: Could there be a new ‘Guitar Hero’ game on the way?

Heavenward is a new project fronted by singer-songwriter Kamtin Mohager. Mohager has spent the last decade-plus traversing the music scene across multiple genres and projects. From his early days touring with 3OH!3 to scoring massive commercial placements under the pop-centered The Chain Gang Of 1974 – not to mention his whirlwind stint with shoegaze frontrunners Teenage Wrist – it’s clear that Mohager has built a name for himself in the pursuit of creativity and progressive art. Now in 2022, Mohager is ready to take his newest project Heavenward to the stars and back with music that he declares his most authentic and transparent to date. 

Mohager says of the new song, “‘Wish” feels like a song that has been buried in me for quite some time but needed the perfect moment to come out. We all go through emotional ups and downs. The sad part about life is that even when you do find yourself coming out of a dark place, the human mind plays tricks on you and convinces your every being to begin worrying about something else. I felt that it was necessary for me to talk about those struggles because we all go through them.”

Read more: Green Day drop another hint about London recording sessions

Feeling burnt out from his stint on a major label and parting ways with Teenage Wrist, Mohager was determined to create songs with no outside influences or expectations. Instead, his goal was to share a side of himself that he hadn’t before. After a year of releasing a string of emotional, heavy-hitting singles, Mohager is set to release the debut Heavenward EP Staircase Music February 18th. 2022 year will also see him perform live for the first time with the new project and also continue to create the music that he loves for anyone who’s willing to listen. Mohager, who’s both kind and humble, isn’t concerned about how far this project will go, but if he continues to write songs of this caliber, he may need to prepare for another whirlwind career.

We caught up with Mohager to discuss his latest project Heavenward, which was chosen as one of the “22 Artists To Watch in 2022” in issue #402, to discuss the inception of the project, his whirlwind career, plans for the future and more.

You’ve been open about this project starting from a place of no expectations. Now as people are responding positively to your music and things are progressing, has that changed at all? 

Yes and no, in a way. I have my other project The Chain Gang Of 1974, and I had a terrible album cycle with Warner Records and wanted to focus strictly on something new, which ended up being Teenage Wrist. It was extremely organic, and low and behold, our first self-released single was tweeted by Gerard Way [My Chemical Romance]. After that, things happened quickly. We signed to Epitaph Records, moved forward, but then it became a business.

Fast forward to when I left that band, I felt the urge to continue writing songs like this but wanted something fun with no expectations. It’s really rad to see that people care about it, but once you start to reach that point where people are noticing it, your brain will naturally start to be like, “Well, maybe the next song I write needs more hooks, or that last song structure was too unorthodox,” so you do fall into those traps, but I’ve done my best to keep this as fun as possible. Whatever expectation there is now, I use it as a positive reminder that I don’t need to fit the norm that industry tricks you into doing. 

What are you trying to convey with this new project both lyrically and sonically? 

When you compare projects, The Chain Gang Of 1974 is very pop-focused, but I am able to get away with more cheesy shit. With Heavenward, the motto of this band is noise, feeling and aggression. I listen to hardcore, I listen to punk, but I also listen to the ’90s shoegaze movement, like Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, and this project allows me to create my own personal therapist. I can write about some really dark things that I am going through personally, and the second the song is on-record, I can listen back and say, “I feel great.” This project helps me heal the soul and whatever darkness is inside of me because I’m a pretty happy guy 99% of the time. 

There is definitely a new musical movement happening with the nü-grunge revival and more progressive shoegaze groups gaining momentum. How does it feel to be at the forefront of that? 

Whoever likes my shit, whoever wants to classify it as to what it is, I don’t care. I’m just grateful if one person listens to something that I created or if a song of mine has helped someone. If I’m gaining the respect of this new scene and these artists, then hell yeah, sign me up. However, this scene wouldn’t have been made possible without the OGs of this world like Balance And Composure, Citizen and Superheaven. I recently met Jon Simmons from Balance And Composure and thanked him for opening the door for this whole new wave to come in. I may be the old head who is a part of this train, but I’m happy to get any recognition from these artists that I respect. 

You have just announced your debut EP Staircase Music. What can we expect from this release? 

This EP was encouraged by the support people have been giving me, including Alternative Press. I went into it with something to say and things to get off my chest. This is some of my favorite stuff I have ever written. It’s just very me, and I think it was a really good thing for me to do this because now I know what a full-length will sound like, and I’m excited to get back in the studio to make an album. 

To this day, Heavenward has never performed live. Will that change in 2022? 

Definitely. I have the urge now, especially [because] I have enough songs to play a set. [Laughs.] I only had four singles out, but now the new EP is coming out, so I will definitely have enough material to play live. I have the itch, maybe not to tour, but to play some shows at least.

What are you looking forward to the most in 2022? 

I think I’m just grateful that I’m 36 years old and still writing songs that make me really excited and can get personally lost in. I’m listening to these new songs on the EP on repeat. On top of that, and more importantly, I’m grateful that I’m still able to write songs that make people excited. I’ve seen a lot of shit in the industry. I’ve had great highs and awful lows, but I’m still here and still doing it. I am so grateful that I get to do this. I will definitely make a full-length record this year. No matter how old I get, I’m gonna love making and playing music. It’s so ingrained in me. Here’s to a good year, hopefully.

The following interview appears in issue #402. You can pre-order Staircase Music on vinyl via Fever Ltd. now.

Read more: In issue 400, twenty one pilots reveal the importance of their community

Rancid #79, 1995

UNDER THE COVER: Perhaps the most iconic Alternative Press cover image ever accompanied a story that went in search of punk rock’s soul at a time when the scene was going platinum off the back of Green Day’s Dookie and the Offspring’s Smash. “Kids are such sheep, and they think there’s a punk-rock rulebook” was the damning assessment of Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen. “Punk rock was about doing anything you wanted, anytime you wanted. If you looked like a freak, you were in it. Now it’s all cliquey, and every move you make is being watched by these little 15-year-old kids that get checks from mom and dad to go to school, making little fanzines on their laptops. They have no idea where I came from. It’s easy to worry about other people’s problems when you’ve got everything.”

Nine Inch Nails #31, 1990

UNDER THE COVER: Before there was Trent Reznor, Academy Award-winning composer, there was Trent Reznor, the kid who “[gets] harassed because [I] don’t look totally normal,” the then-24-year-old frontman told Alternative Press on his band’s first-ever national magazine cover. “Somebody up the street says they’re going to get us because we’re hippies,” he continued. “We get insulted pretty regularly.” On show, however, was the frontman’s singular vision for his fledgling outfit. “It’s not a band,” Reznor stated. “It’s not, ‘Here’s an idea for a song — let’s all work on it.’

I would hope someday that it would be more of a collaboration, but it isn’t right now. It’s basically if you don’t like what you’re playing, come up with something better. If I like it, you can play it. If I don’t play what I did.”

Panic! At The Disco #330, 2016

UNDER THE COVER: As far as logistics go, few locations require as much planning in which to shoot than underwater. “We shot this cover at Brendon Urie’s then-new house, which he had just moved to that summer,” photographer Jonathan Weiner recalls. “I pitched a handful of ideas, including shooting underwater, which is something Brendon had apparently been wanting to do for a while.

“I did a test shoot the weekend before in another pool to sort out any problems and how to light something underwater. As you go deeper into water, the color and lighting get more blue and muddy, and I wanted it to be punchy in order to be cover-worthy,” he continues. “We were able to figure out how to light with strobes from above the surface shooting into the water, rather than find underwater lighting that was not really designed for photography at the time.”

That’s not where the challenges ended, though. “I discovered that it’s very difficult to not float to the top, even with a heavy camera, so I had to wear a scuba diving weight belt to hold me down while shooting,” Weiner says. “Brendon kept his eyes open the entire time to get the shot, too, so by the time we moved on to shoot other images, his eyes were completely bloodshot. We had to constantly give him eye drops to even out for the rest of the day.”

Rage Against The Machine #96, 1996

UNDER THE COVER: “If they only had a clue about some of the things that we were thinking of doing,” laughed Tom Morello to Alternative Press as we joined them at what transpired to be an infamous last performance for the band on Saturday Night Live. Having attempted to drape two inverted American flags across their amplifiers just moments before a rendition of “Bulls On Parade,” RATM were duly invited to leave the building upon the song’s conclusion. They’ve never been allowed back since.

Garbage #156, 2001

UNDER THE COVER: “l’m of the school that believes it’s still necessary to draw people’s attention to the creative output of women in society in general,” Shirley Manson said upon her arrival onto the Alternative Press cover, with words that would ring true if they were spoken last week, let alone in 2001.

“I think women are still operating at a mild disadvantage. I would prefer it wasn’t an issue. But the fact that it is an issue, an opportunity like this is a wonderful thing. Equality would be nice. But sometimes it’s great to hit people over the head with a hammer.” The forthrightness, boldness and confidence on which Manson has based an entire career weren’t, perhaps, on show when asked how she felt about her AP cover debut, however. “I have no idea [why I’m on the cover]. I’m very uncomfortable with it, to be honest. l’m sure it’ll offend millions of girls the world over — though somebody’s got to be in the front.”

Bad Brains #20, 1989

UNDER THE COVER: Charting the comings and goings in the Bad Brains camp as the 1980s gave way for the ’90s would necessitate a full cover story in its own right. But timing is everything in this game, and so AP lucked out when, during the making of 1989 album Quickness, the Brains’ iconic pairing of frontman H.R. and drummer Earl Hudson rejoined the ranks of the band they had helped found over a decade prior. H.R. would rewrite and rerecord the lyrical compositions on Quickness. “I went into a fast isolation, a metaphysical transformation, and hid myself in a little motel room way up in the woods in upstate New York, listened to the music and didn’t go to sleep for three or four days and totally engulfed myself to come up with the lyrics,” he explained to AP of his process.

L7 #107, 1997

UNDER THE COVER: “No dogs were harmed in the shooting of these photos,” declared L7 vocalist and guitarist Donita Sparks a few years ago while recalling the band’s one and only Alternative Press cover appearance 20 years prior. The idea (Sparks’ own) was born of simplicity: “Dogs like sniffing women’s crotches.” The execution: less so. In order to get their canine friends to play ball — these were no animal actors, after all, but rather pets borrowed from friends and partners — the L.A. quartet taped wraps of peanut butter to their legs.” Which, come to think of it, probably isn’t even in the top 10 strangest things that have taken place to capture an AP cover. 

Nirvana #44, 1992

UNDER THE COVER: “If only there were a way for Nirvana to be a celebrated rock group and veritable unknowns at the same time,” asked Alternative Press on the Seattle legends’ first-ever national U.S. magazine cover story, mere months after the release of Nevermind. Few could have guessed how hauntingly prescient those words would later become.

“I’m becoming frustrated with having to deal with the kind of people who come up to me after the show and say, ‘You guys fucking rock, dude,’” Kurt Cobain admitted in our interview. “I don’t need that at all. I’ve been sort of hiding out in the back room a lot in fear of having to hear people like that. I’m just having a hard time dealing with that right now because I feel guilty for wanting to hide out in the dressing room. I feel like a rock star. And I can almost understand why rock stars act the way they do.”

Smashing Pumpkins #61, 1993

UNDER THE COVER: For their cover debut, Alternative Press joined Billy Corgan and company in their hometown of Chicago, as the then-quartet stood on the verge of releasing their acclaimed Siamese Dream album. Over cooked breakfast and record-flipping at Corgan’s house a stone’s throw from Wrigley Field, the band discussed influence, inspiration and the process of creation — the latter of which clouded the interview with a sense of tension that would play out with the band’s original lineup until its eventual dissolution at the turn of the new millennium. “I won’t work as a band anymore,” Corgan was quoted as saying. “Nowhere near the way it was before. That’s over for this band. It’s just constant disappointment, to beg and plead and cry for someone to help you.”

Beastie Boys #72, 1994

UNDER THE COVER: If every day truly is a school day, then the lesson Alternative Press learned when hooking up with Beastie Boys for this 1994 cover story was a simple one: Don’t try to conduct interviews in the middle of a busy deli (Adam “MCA” Yauch’s order: rice and beans). Cue in-depth conversations about whether the UPS delivery uniform is better than the FedEx uniform — and where the UPS fits into the power rankings, too. Helpfully, the trio also found time to take AP inside the inner workings of their chart-topping Ill Communication album, too.

WILLOW #395, 2021

UNDER THE COVER: “I was honored when I was asked to do this shoot because I grew up reading AP,” photographer Atiba Jefferson reveals. “I was so stoked — already being a fan of WILLOW, it was a perfect fit. I really love when the talent has an idea because [it means] they are already excited for the shoot, but the fact [that] WILLOW trusted me to make my own changes was awesome. When she got to set, she was so on point. It made my job so much easier!”

Slipknot #142, 2000

UNDER THE COVER: The Slipknot that Alternative Press found on arriving in the band’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, were certainly a world away from the all-conquering metal behemoth they would go on to become. Among the venues The Nine treated us to on our guided tour of their world? Their basement practice space, insulated with an old pet shop 

carpet that still reeked of puppies’ urine. Photographer Chapman Baehler’s portrait of a masked Corey Taylor captured what would soon become one of the most iconic looks in music history. “To us, this is like a uniform,” the frontman described of their image. “When we go onstage, we’re individuals — but we’re also like one complete monster that just wants to destroy everything.”

NOFX #189, 2004

UNDER THE COVER: “We figured we could use it for our political message” was NOFX’s Fat Mike’s explanation for breaking his band’s seven-year-long media silence with this exclusive Alternative Press cover story, just months prior to the 2004 U.S. presidential election. “Our political agenda is, by the way, to get [George W.] Bush out of office.” If those words weren’t blunt enough, the “Fight Bush Not War” message that adorned the frontman’s arms on this famous cover photo certainly got his point across loud and clear.

Outkast #153, 2001

UNDER THE COVER: Finding time in the diaries of artists at the height of their fame is never an easy feat; you’ve got to take your moment when you can get it. And so it was that Outkast’s AP cover story interview was conducted at the duo’s Atlanta HQ during the half-time interval of the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV demolition of the New York Giants. “I think that any time you’re out of your mind, you’re closer to God,” André 3000 mused in an interview that took in everything from funk’s decreasing prevalence in hip-hop to the highs and lows of drug-taking.

Paramore #282, 2012

UNDER THE COVER: “This was my first cover ever,” photographer Lindsey Byrnes remembers. “I got the call from AP and was told that Hayley [Williams] had asked for me specifically. So, I got on a plane for NYC, where the band had a day off on their tour. Hayley styled herself top to bottom for that shoot. It was wild [that] she did all hair and makeup changes herself. I didn’t realize until my next cover shoot that she was helping me understand what needed to be done. She’s so punk and, at the same time, so professional. Hayley wanted me to thrive, and since then, our relationship has grown into a collaborative creative mishmash of life and art and all the things.” 

And as for the “Trouble Maker” shirt Williams elected to wear for the cover? “I just texted and asked about that,” Byrnes says, “and here’s what she had to say: ‘Everyone [the public and press] thought I was the root cause of all of Paramore’s issues. I thought I’d just sarcastically play into that.’ I think you call that trolling, but I just call it funny.”

Poppy #387, 2020

UNDER THE COVER: “I think this version of Poppy, I just call her 3.0, is the best and the truest Poppy that anyone has seen,” Poppy announced as part of her Alternative Press cover story — shared with fiance Ghostemane — last October. Her revealing interview brought fans closer than ever to the true person behind the persona. “Parts of who I was playing on screen and at shows was starting to seep over into who I actually was as a person,” she explained of her growth. “I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is not what I want to be a part of anymore.’ It scared me. I refound myself after that and realized that I needed to start making places for me, as a person, and be able to sleep with my decisions.”

twenty one pilots #316, 2014

UNDER THE COVER: “I’ve had the pleasure of shooting probably 10 to 20 covers for Alternative Press over the years, and this was probably the most collaborative shoot I’ve done with a band,” photographer Douglas Sonders recalls. “If you ever have the pleasure of working with this band, you’ll quickly learn that they are very creative and collaborative. The band really wanted to do this one particular crazy portrait where Josh hung upside down while Tyler stood next to him. They even brought and engineered this crazy apparatus where Josh could safely hook his feet in and hang there. If you look at that photo, you’ll see Josh’s face starts to turn bright red from the blood rushing to his head!

“[For this cover], I think it helped that the band had been integrating the balaclava into their style and performances at the time,” he continues. “We played with a bunch of concepts where they were half on and half off. I shot a series of images of each of the guys as they slowly pulled the balaclavas off so we could play with the options in post-production. I’m super happy with how the cover came out. The black background and the pops of color from the balaclavas. I lit them with narrow gridded portrait lighting so the focus was on their eyes.”

blink-182 and Green Day #167, 2002

UNDER THE COVER: One of the most famous covers in Alternative Press history saw Green Day and blink-182 brought together to celebrate the pair’s Pop Disaster tour; an event that Green Day drummer Tré Cool admitted his band used in a bid to reestablish their fading reputation two years prior to American Idiot, giving them a new lease on life. Before all that, though, there was this recreation of the Damned’s debut album sleeve to complete — with the detail taken as far, photographer Sean Murphy revealed, as dressing the bands in clothes matching the original inspiration.

My Chemical Romance #221, 2006

UNDER THE COVER: The Black Parade remains to this day a standard-bearer for creativity and world-building in modern rock, but such yards aren’t easily gained — it requires an unshakable vision. Such was in evidence when My Chemical Romance teamed up with Alternative Press for this series of 2006 covers. Photographer Dave Hill was the man charged with helping bring the brothers Way’s ideas to life. “They were both like a team, but it was all Gerard’s vision,” Hill recalled years later. “It wasn’t like some guy from the label made all this up — it was all him. He had a very specific outline: the look, the costumes, the extras. He had a notebook of his sketches and stuff. I have never seen that [attention to detail] before or since then.”

Pop punk’s big break didn’t mean the genre got locked into a formula, either. The style has continued to evolve and grow. A new legion of artists have joined pioneers such as blink-182, Avril Lavigne and Good Charlotte. And styles like hip-hop, metal and electronic music have continued to blend with punk’s three-chord roots. Now, artists such as Meet Me @ The Altar, LILHUDDY and KennyHoopla are breathing fresh life into pop punk.

Read more: 20 songs that transformed punk, from “Raw Power” to “Rebel Girl”

It’s easy to look back on the classics and the big hits. But one downside of pop punk’s vitality is some of the genre’s best moments are overlooked. There are tons of albums that never got quite the hype they deserved. For that reason, here are 20 of the most underrated pop-punk albums.

Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux

After the glow of Infinity On High, Fall Out Boy could have easily just decided to go out on a high note. Even when being looked at as the black sheep of their catalog, Folie A Deux has some of the greatest songs that Pete Wentz would ever write, including classics such as “I Don’t Care” and “20 Dollar Nose Bleed.” While this would be the last record that we’d receive from FOB for a long time, Folie A Deux was proof that it wasn’t because they were out of ideas. 

Zebrahead – Broadcast To The World

Zebrahead is a band that consistently defies musical expectations. Pop punk might feel like too specific of a niche for a band that casually strays into the realm of hip hop, ska and hard rock with ease. But on 2006’s Broadcast To The World, the band show their mastery of tuneful choruses and artfully crafted songs. And what song better captures the fun and energy of a pop-punk anthem than, well… “Anthem“?

93PUNX – 93PUNX

It’s not every day that you see someone on Vic Mensa’s level prove he’s a master of multiple genres with a punk-rock album. Given his skills as a musician, though, it almost makes too much sense. Hearing him lose his mind over punk beats makes for some of the hardest music of his career. This record certainly pushes the limits of pop punk, but it perfectly mixes the songwriting chops of the genre with an energy that would make Sex Pistols proud.

NOFX – First Ditch Effort 

If you’ve ever listened to Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, you know someone like Fat Mike has a strong musical sense of humor. But when he does want to hunker down and talk about something serious, he can really tug on your heartstrings on an album like this. As he grapples with his struggles with addictions, you can feel his determination to stay sober every step of the way. For anyone who’s ever seen the pain of addiction, there’s a whole lot to unpack on this one.

POORSTACY – The Breakfast Club

I

It’s hard to talk about pop-punk history while ignoring genres like emo and hip hop. Enter POORSTACY, who has already proven himself a master of the above and more. Fluidly blending elements of anything he seems to feel like using, POORSTACY has showcased pop punk’s ability to evolve. While his new album leans on deep concepts and horror punk imagery, his debut record captured all of the atmosphere and emotional depths of emo rap while revealing his complete mastery of punk-rock energetics.

Potty Mouth – SNAFU

As big as the ‘80s nostalgia trip has been in the past few years, throwing it back to the ‘90s like Potty Mouth‘s SNAFU is more than welcome. From the sounds of this record, this is the kind of music that artists like Liz Phair would have made back in the day. It possesses the same type of snotty attitude that you’d get from a band like Bikini Kill. While not exactly riot grrrl energy on every track, it’s still as catchy as ever from a punk’s perspective.

Waterparks – Entertainment

Like everyone else, it’s easy to collectively lose your minds at how much Waterparks have been blowing up ever since Double Dare. The new record is amazing as well, yet Entertainment falls in a unique spot between them. Though there are definitely some bangers on here, the best parts of this album come at the end, which go into either full alternative-rock territory or electronic affairs like “Crybaby.” Down the line, we might be talking about this record the same way we talk about blink-182’s Untitled record.

blink-182 – Neighborhoods

Speaking of blink-182, a lot of fans weren’t sure what to expect when Neighborhoods first came out. Though this does have traces of Angels & Airwaves buried in there, hearing these pop-punk titans back together again is amazing to watch. They may not have had the best time putting this record together, but if that meant giving us songs such as “Ghost On The Dance Floor,” the effort was well worth it.

Simple Plan – Simple Plan

One of the cardinal sins that you can make as a pop-punk band is to grow up. No matter how long you last, you’re going to arrive at adulthood at some point. And when Simple Plan made that leap, it had the potential to best their classic stuff, with Dave Fortman’s production sounding amazing. Once you get this record into your rotation, chances are you’re going to be singing along with these songs just as much as stuff like “Welcome To My Life” and “I’m Just A Kid.”

The All-American Rejects – The All-American Rejects

The debut album is always a tricky beast for bands, as they try to put everything great about them into one package. Though All-American Rejects would flirt with perfection on their next record, this is no slouch at all. Tyson Ritter flexed his pipes and showed us all how to write a singalong chorus that you can belt out at the top of your lungs. Also, any album that includes a song like “Swing, Swing” deserves to be among the best of pop punk.

Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water

If you were to take a look at all the pop-punk artists who managed to stay true throughout their careers, Avril Lavigne would have to be close to the top of your list. Outside of a few shake-ups she’s taken in her career, Head Above Water still has all the tropes that made her the pop-punk princess back in the 2000s. You can see her growing as a songwriter here as well, with tracks such as “Birdie” capturing that same angst as “Complicated.” There are a few twists and turns on this record, but if you know Avril, you know writing good tunes ain’t that hard for her.

Pale Waves – Who Am I?

Remember when we were talking about the greatness of Lavigne’s early work? It turns out that Pale Waves also had the idea to stick to their roots to hit us with a blast from the past on Who Am I? Just as the album art would lead you to believe, this is the best kind of nostalgia trip, taking bits and pieces from the ‘00s and bringing them into a modern context. Proof again that while the times are changing, pop punk has still got the same power it’s always had.  

Sum 41 – Chuck

With years of hindsight, you forget how important this Sum 41 record was for pop punk. Even though it might have been weird to see the band who brought you “Fat Lip” going into hard-rock mode, this is what broadened the playing field for pop punk. Bands such as PUP have taken their cues and gotten a lot more aggro with their music. You can still call this a pop-punk record, but where else are you going to find something like “Some Say” set alongside a Metallica tribute like “The Bitter End”?

Good Charlotte – Generation RX

You’re always taking a bit of a gamble as a pop-punk band when you decide to talk about real issues. If Green Day have taught us anything, it’s that that gamble is rewarding when it does work, and Good Charlotte were more than up to the challenge. After blasting through songs such as “The Anthem” back in the day, this short slice of reality hits hard. Broaching difficult topics like seeing friends pass away at the hands of addiction, this album can really make you tear up. Still anchored to the pop-punk sound they helped define, this album is proof that the genre was always capable of tackling the heaviest of real-world issues. 

The Menzingers – Hello Exile

Pop punk has always had a few different flavors to it, but none of them were meant to be as heartbreaking as the Menzingers‘ Hello Exile. As far as punk is concerned, this is the kind of music that Bruce Springsteen would have written if he grew up listening to Alkaline Trio. There’s definitely a cynical attitude, but the choruses behind songs such as “Anna” and “I Can’t Stop Drinking” feel more in line with classic rock than blink-182. It’s catchy in all the right places and chaotic when it wants to be, but it’s also got heart, and that’s the most important thing.

Doll Skin – Manic Pixie Dream Girl

From the first few songs of Doll Skin‘s Manic Pixie Dream Girl, this is what P!nk would sound like if she had a bit more grit in her delivery, with a bit of Foo Fighters thrown in for good measure. The emphasis is still on the punk side of things, though, and this is an absolute blast from the moment you press play. If you listen to this more than once, you’ll know that “Shut Up (You Miss Me)” not becoming a radio hit is a crime.

Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces Everyone

The past few years have certainly made things more difficult, but knowing that Spanish Love Songs have the same kind of pain is cathartic. Even though the title of this record captures everything succinctly, their unique brand of emo rock and pop punk is a picture of what it’s like being in your mid-20s and not knowing where to go from there. Things might not be OK 24/7, but as long as you put on a brave face, it might all work out in the end.

Paramore – All We Know Falling

Over the years, Paramore have continued to transform with each release. Their songwriting chops were on display from the beginning, and All We Know Is Falling has the same kind of power that we know and love today. From the minute she opened her mouth to sing, we had a superstar on our hands with Hayley Williams. While she’s never had to prove a thing to us, she’s singing like she wants the world to know what she’s truly capable of.

Green Day – Warning

And now we come to the most high-profile band on the list, with Green Day just coming off of a long exhausting career in the late ‘90s. With the new decade dawning, though, they had a lot more to offer, showing off their folk-rock chops on this one. Billie Joe Armstrong especially shows why he belongs  in the big leagues as a songwriter with “Minority.” It wasn’t your traditional pop punk by any stretch, but this was just testing the waters for everything that was to come. 

Panic At The Disco – Pretty. Odd.

When you’ve become one of the biggest acts in the scene, you don’t really want to mess with the formula too much. Instead of just the traditional emo hangups, Panic At The Disco removed the punctuation from their name and made an old-school folk-rock record inspired by artists such as the Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash. In so doing, the band revealed the true scope of their influences and their artistry.

First up, the White Stripes on long-standing U.K. pop showcase Top Of The Pops, in February 2002. “Fell In Love With A Girl” began its chart-shaking international climb, and Jack and Meg White entered English living rooms for the first time. They refused to obey the show’s strict lip-synching policy, ripping through their single live, with a manic rawness bridging Ramones and Little Richard. Midway through, Jack signaled his ex-wife to switch up the beat to a four-on-the-floor, kick-drum-and-high-hat pattern. He improvised a brief sermon about the advantages of love, quoting Cole Porter and some unidentified bluesman along the way. Just as swiftly, they returned to their hit. TOTP’s studio audience was gobsmacked.

Crossfade to three months earlier, on Later… With Jools Holland: Swedish upstarts the Hives assaulted the venerated talk show with their new single “Hate To Say I Told You So.” Over the course of the next year, this compression of the Kinks’ early distorto-rock a la “You Really Got Me” conquered the world. The look in Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s eyes as his bandmates detonate those four now-familiar chords, while he tosses his mic hand-to-hand, awaiting his cue, is basically, “Yeah, I’m gonna have you yet.” 

“We are the Hives! We’re from Sweden,” he announced, as the arrangement dropped down to Dr. Matt Destruction’s four-wheel-drive bassline. “Wanna know how to spell the Hives? G-E-N-I-O-U-S — the Hives!” England was charmed.

You have to wonder if any viewers or studio audience members were aware or cared that both bands were reaching for the same moment in rock history?

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Garage punk went commercial for the second time in its long history during the 21st century’s beginnings. It was a welcome antidote to the day’s abysmal rock and pop — a noisy, aggressive, high-energy music simple enough for any kid with minimal equipment and basic ability to replicate. Punk rock began with garage in the ’60s. Now it returned to put rock ‘n’ roll back in the hands of common folk. This is the story of the most liberating sound around, full of teenage hormones and sheer joy. Enjoy our custom playlist as you read.

“I’m five years ahead of my time!” – In the beginning…

Feb. 9, 1964: The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. The next day, at high schools across America, it seemed as if every teenage boy had washed the Brylcreem out of his hair and combed it down, hanging it as far in his eyes as his haircut allowed. Every girl might have scrawled “I luv Paul” on her notebooks. That afternoon, musical instrument shops in every U.S. city were desperately reordering electric guitars, amps and drums. 

Garages in every neighborhood soon reverberated with rudimentary bands working out “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist And Shout,” dreams of Beatlemania dancing in their heads. Those makeshift practice spaces obviously gave these bands a name in later years. But this impulse existed prior to the British Invasion, in the form of teen combos working sock hops and frat dances, playing dirty instrumentals thick with overblown saxophones and reverb-drenched guitars. The hairy, hydra-headed beast of John, Paul, Ringo and George changed the musical and aesthetic focus.

The Beatles’ musical sophistication eluded the capabilities of most kids’ uncalloused fingers. The crude bashing of some of the British acts following in the Fab Fours’ wake — the Kinks, the Yardbirds and especially the Rolling Stones — proved more accessible. All deployed an aggressive take on American R&B, their Vox AC30 amps pushed into harmonic overload to compete with screaming teenage audiences. When Stones guitarist Keith Richards distorted “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’s” three-note motif with a Maestro Fuzz-Tone, fuzz replaced dirty saxes as every garage band’s signature. British bands amplified the blues’ inherent aggression. Their American disciples amplified the aggression further. 

As Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky remembered in 2001: “The Yardbirds played all across America in 1965. When we came back six months later, every local band was the Yardbirds!”

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He’s right. Dig “Psychotic Reaction,” San Jose’s Count Five’s sole hit single. It’s the greatest Yardbirds record the Yardbirds never recorded. They numbered among an elite group of garage bands who broke past local stardom, landing at least one single nationally: The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie,” the Standells’ “Dirty Water,” “Pushin’ Too Hard” by the Seeds, “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet” by the Blues Magoos, “96 Tears” by Question Mark & The Mysterians (featuring that other ‘60s garage instrumental mainstay, the wheezy Vox or Farfisa organ). Some of the rawest, best bands — such as Seattle’s Sonics, arguably the first punk band in the form we know — couldn’t chart with chaotic crunchers a la “He’s Waitin’.” Others, including Austin, Texas’ 13th Floor Elevators, applied LSD experimentation to their raunchy sounds on the glorious “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” That strain became known as psychedelia.

The Garage epoch blipped on rock’s timeline, though it’s arguably the music’s very essence. Most bands lasted as long as graduation or the draft allowed. But fuzz-toned echoes of that blip rang into the following decades.

“You’re gonna miss me, baby” – Nuggets and the ‘70s

The ‘70s initially resembled an army of James Taylors armed with acoustic guitars, strangling the life out of music. Then there were so-called “rock” bands with no roll, playing endless guitar and drum solos onstage. It felt as if you needed to enroll at a conservatory just to buy a Les Paul. Where was the excitement of just six years before? Or of 1956? No wonder Iggy And The Stooges and the New York Dolls had to happen!

It didn’t escape a cadre of rock journalists — Lester Bangs and Dave Marsh at Creem, Greg Shaw at Who Put The Bomp?, Lenny Kaye — that the Dolls and Stooges were possibly the last garage bands, Marshall amps relacing Vox’s. They longed for scratchy old 45s of “Dirty Water” when shutting their radios off on “Fire And Rain.” Nostalgic articles such as Bangs’ “Psychotic Reactions And Carburetor Dung” rhapsodized the garage moment. Marsh named the sound “punk rock” in describing Question Mark & The Mysterians in 1969. He inadvertently named rock’s next revolution.

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Elektra Records’ Jac Holzman charged Kaye with assembling an oldies collection. The future Patti Smith Group guitarist delivered a codification of ‘60s garage — Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968. Across two LPs, it encompassed everything from hits a la “Psychotic Reaction” and the Knickerbockers’ raunchy Beatles approximation “Lies” to such obscurities as “Run, Run, Run” by the Third Rail. This was no K-Tel oldies sampler. This was a taste and style, carefully curated, the first serious recognition of garage impulses. 

Kaye called it “punk rock” in his liner notes. “Garage rock” became the signifier later in the decade, once punk-as-we-know-it arrived in the mid-’70s. But Nuggets entered the record collections of virtually every participant in first-wave punk’s 1975-1979 explosion. Television covered the 13th Floor Elevators, the Cramps recorded “Psychotic Reaction” among others, Suicide deconstructed “96 Tears” — the list is endless. Then came bands consciously giving garage a ‘70s makeover — Los Angeles’ Droogs, Boston’s DMZ (who resembled the Stooges playing Nuggets), even San Francisco’s Flamin’ Groovies. (Beginning as an original garage band in 1965 proved advantageous!) Perhaps the Ramones and the Sex Pistols were the Sonics’ revenge?

“Are you gonna be there when I set the spark?” – Garage enters the ‘80s

As Ronald Reagan was sworn in as America’s 40th president and the excitement of ‘77 punk gave away to the hyper assault of hardcore, factions of punk’s fanbase grew disenchanted. One of the directions their antennae divined? Garage punk.

Fanzines such as Mike Stax’s still-extant Ugly Things poured over the minutiae of these crackling old homemade singles, figuring out who manufactured the tubes powering the Misunderstood’s amps and other mystic arcana. Yet, more semi-legal reissue compilations of garage 45s flooded the market — Pebbles, Boulders, Rubble, Back From The Grave. A new wave of garage bands — now calling themselves garage bands — emerged, faithfully recreating the sound of ‘66, down to their buzzy antique Vox amps, Brian Jones haircuts and stovepipe corduroy trousers pulled over Chelsea boots. Be it L.A.’s the Unclaimed, NYC’s Fuzztones or Headless Horsemen, or even the relatively successful Fleshtones and Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus, all shook it down in a good, relatively faithful fashion. 

Pride of place goes to Rochester, New York’s Chesterfield Kings and Boston’s Lyres, a  DMZ offshoot. Alongside U.K. garage polymath Billy Childish’s 5,000,000 bands — Thee Milkshakes, Thee Mighty Caesars, Thee Headcoats and others boasting a King James edition definitive article — Chesterfield Kings and Lyres distinguished themselves with strong songwriting smarts and a rejection of garage revivalism’s cartoon/fashion aspects. These were solid punk bands, regardless of the ‘60s influences. Mightiest of all were Sweden’s Nomads, wedding 1966’s fuzz-tone thrust to modern metal amplification and ‘77 aggression. They’re the ‘80s garage kings.

Read more: Revisit ‘Nimrod:’ the moment Green Day ripped up their own rulebook

“My love is stronger than dirt” – The ‘90s renovate the garage

Garage was no longer the Sound Of ‘66 Today, in the Nirvana/Bill Clinton era. The garage musicians of the 20th century’s final decade rejected the cartoon/fashion aspects of ‘80s garage revivalism almost wholesale. Rather, greaser and Tiki culture seemed to invade the garage scene, as bands more resembled ‘70s punkers: Leather jackets, ripped jeans, and gas station attendant shirts. As they dressed down, they also amped up. Bands such as Bellingham, Washington State’s Mono Men (whose leader Dave Crider also helmed prestigious modern garage label Estrus), Spokane’s Makers or San Antonio’s Sons Of Hercules owed as much to the Nomads or even the Replacements as the Standells. Even grunge heroes Mudhoney flashed intensified garage influences. There was also Detroit’s bass-less sub-mod three-piece the Gories, almost reducing garage into a noisy, post-no wave din.

Then there were the Mummies, writhing about in filthy gauze bandages and attacking ramshackle cheap equipment, proudly reveling in the glory of the lo-fi raunch they called “budget rock.” They deliberately snubbed propriety, recording crude singles such as “Stronger Than Dirt” everywhere but studios. They rejected Sub Pop’s interest, expressing disgust with the “hippie heavy-metal label.” They named a singles collection Fuck CDs! It’s…The Mummies! Their example inspired such lo-fi garage-istas as Supercharger, the Rip Offs and Oblivians. Budget-rock’s apotheosis: Memphis destructo-punks the Reatards, featuring prodigy Jay Reatard.

“A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back” – Garage in the 21st century

NYC’s the Strokes supercharged traditional garage with Velvet Underground-esque angular ‘60s punk-isms and the ‘70s Lower East Side’s artier side. Then they sold England on the fact that they were The Next Big Thing. It worked. Debut album Is This It launched in the U.S. one month after 9/11, its single “Last Nite” democratizing radio and MTV. The door knocked off the hinges, Detroit’s White Stripes walked through, followed by the Hives, the Vines, the Datsuns and other bands with/without definitive articles. None were Count Five revivalists. 

The White Stripes’ glory reflected momentarily on their hometown, the Von Bondies, the Go, the Paybacks, Ko And The Knockouts and ex-Gories Mick Collins’ Dirtbombs squinting into the spotlight. In the U.K., the Libertines followed the Strokes’ blueprint for modern garage stardom, their literate, scrappy English interpretation of the Replacements now in vogue. British electric guitar sales skyrocketed briefly.

Jay Reatard leaped from the Reatards to the Lost Sounds, then seemingly a new band daily for years, until going solo mid-decade. Blood Visions entirely rewrote garage’s rules: Ornate songwriting a la Queen, played with hardcore’s vicious attack, recorded cheaply, remaining well produced. The entire world is still trying to catch up with his genius.

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Jack White parlayed the dissolved-since-2010 White Stripes’ success into a cottage industry all his own: bands such as the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, and his own solo work. It all centers around his Third Man business empire, the label and his record stores helping restore the luster of vinyl. His own music skews less garage-y as time has advanced, though it remains ineffably rock ‘n’ roll.

The Jim Jones Revue crashed the piano-banging spirit of the ‘50s into lo-fi garage in the ‘10s. Ireland’s teenage Strypes beelined to garage’s source material — ‘60s British R&B a la the Yardbirds — for their inspiration. Garage’s ‘20s spirit manifests in Sweden’s the Maharajas, or French fuzz brutarians Les Grys-Grys. Garage is a never-dying rock ‘n’ roll strain. If budding musicians need to make a basic, fun, hormone-drenched racket requiring fuzzboxes? Garage punk thrives. And it feels like this!

Thanks to Ugly Things editor/Loons frontman Mike Stax for his garage expertise.