Although it’s hard to believe, we’re already nearing the halfway point of the 2015 calendar year. And despite the dreadful weather, the past six months have bred some truly fantastic albums by bands on all corners of the collective “punk” (as I’ve stated before, I use that term very loosely) scene. Of course, there’s still another six months for albums that I don’t mention in this list to grow on me, as well as a whole slew of upcoming releases that I’m highly anticipating. However, this highlights a few records that are currently my favorites and are most certainly contenders for my “Album of the Year” list in late December.
Although their lineup includes three fourths of the hardcore heavyweights Code Orange, Adventures’ sound falls somewhere in between their fuzzy, shoegaze-influenced labelmates Pity Sex and the poppy, slacker-punks Chumped. Frontwoman, Reba Meyers’s voice gracefully slips in between soothingness and urgency as the songs build from gentle verses into massive choruses. The whole album has a calming softness to it that’s complimented perfectly by the driving rhythm section and Weezer-esque riffs that break through during the choruses. Adventures are at their best on “Supersonic Home” and I really hope they don’t decide to shelve themselves to focus solely on Code Orange. They have a lot of potential here.
Enter Shikari- “The Mindsweep”
Sometimes I forget how much I love Enter Shikari. Then I throw on anything from their stellar catalogue and within minutes I’m kicking myself for ever questioning their mastery. The English four-piece released their magnum opus “The Mindsweep” in January and yet again, as they’ve done with each subsequent release, completely redefined what anyone thought them to be capable of. Their inexplicable juggernaut (no pun intended) of a sound was made even bigger with the addition of horns, strings, and a refined use of electronics. However, they still haven’t abandoned their post-hardcore roots as exemplified by the bludgeoning breakdown in “Anaesthetist” and the colossal gang vocals in “Myopia.” “The Mindsweep” is their most diverse album as well as their most cohesive. Those are two traits that very few bands can balance as successfully as Enter Shikari.
Soda Bomb- “Wanna Jam?”
The loud, garagey, slacker-punk that Soda Bomb churn out is refreshingly raw during the current period of bands taking themselves, at times, a little too seriously. Their carefully crafted, careless demeanor has just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek value to set them apart from their noisy peers. However, the Long Island four-piece also happen to write great, yelly punk songs that induce PBR slamming and other disenchanted-twenty-something debauchery. In short, Soda Bomb are a lot of fun and they’d fall nicely in a playlist between Drug Church and Rozwell Kid.
Stick To Your Guns- “Disobedient”
Stick To Your Guns are arguably the biggest band in hardcore right now, as they’re equally capable of drawing crowds at both Warped Tour and on smaller, more traditional hardcore tours. And the array of different styles that they experimented with on “Disobedient” successfully embodies this crossroads point in their career. Substantially more melodic tracks such as “The Crown” and the closing, semi-acoustic ballad “Left You Behind” are definitely curveballs towards their high-energy, hardcore roots. However, the softer melodies never overstay their welcome and they actually transition nicely in between the pummeling stompers, which there certainly isn’t any shortage of. The final breakdown in “I Choose Nothing” is gargantuan. It would be difficult to say that “Disobedient” ousted their previous masterpiece, “Diamond, ” but it’s definitely a close race.
Turnover- “Peripheral Vision”
Turnover essentially reinvented themselves as a spacy, quiet alt-emo/shoegazey outfit on “Peripheral Vision,” which is a stark contrast to their fast-paced, pop punk beginnings. However, the new Turnover is more focused and put-together, resulting in a beautifully aesthetic, textural record unlike any other in today’s scene. The hazy guitar tones and tranquility of Casey Getz’s vocals sound far-off, evoking a sensation of distance that induces deep thought and introspection. However, whereas some bands fall flat whilst transitioning to a softer sound, Turnover have woven earworm melodies into each track, making “Peripheral Vision” all the more addicting. This record is a hot contender for the coveted “number one” spot. On a side note, it’s interesting to see that this band, as well as Citizen, Title Fight and Light Years were all basically doing the same kind of thing a few years back, but have now each sprawled outwards in completely different directions.
Turnstile- “Nonstop Feeling”
Turnstile are the most exciting band in hardcore right now simply because they’re actually doing something different. “Nonstop Feeling” is a groove machine with plenty of thick riffs, two-step standards, and shout-back choruses. At its core, the record is comparable to releases by Expire, Backtrack and Rotting Out. However, what separates Turnstile from the herd is that they’re not afraid to be melodic and just have fun. Additionally, “Blue By You” wouldn’t be out of place on a Diamond Youth record, “Fazed Out” unapologetically channels Rage Against the Machine, and the instrumental “Love Lasso” is reminiscent of 60’s surf rock. Altogether, “Nonstop Feeling” is one of the most original hardcore records in recent years and will undoubtedly maintain a position on my playlist for the remainder of 2015.
-Eli Enis
