It’s that time of year again – end of year lists time! I say it every year but I really do think this year has been a very, very good year for new music. According to my Spotify Wrapped, I discovered (and listened to on their platform) 262 new bands in 2019 – but, of course, that doesn’t take into account music I listened to outside of Spotify such as on Bandcamp or live music. I went to two new festivals this year, Booze Cruise Festival in Hamburg and Book Yer Ane Fest in Dundee which were both rife with great new discoveries. These top tens do not do all of my new discoveries justice but they are hopefully a good insight into my 2019 of punk rock.
Top Ten EPs of 2019
10. Split by Arms & Hearts / Chloe Hawes
Released in October as small fundraiser for their USA tour which included playing at the mighty Fest, Arms & Hearts and Chloe Hawes recorded this split in Steve’s flat. They each have two songs on the EP which are covers of each other’s songs. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both Arms & Hearts and Chloe Hawes’ releases in the past and this was every bit as wonderful as I knew it could (would) be – particularly the addition of harmonica to Shakespearean Tragic. The split is available exclusively on Bandcamp.
Favourite song: Shakespearean Tragic
9. Hope And Ruin by Rowan Oak
I mentioned in my intro that we attended Booze Cruise Festival in Hamburg this year and the quality of German bands at the festival was so, so high. One of the bands that I checked out prior to the festival, having never heard of them before, was Rowan Oak. The melancholic yet singalong-able tracks on Hope And Ruin really connected with me, plus they reminded me of Funeral For A Friend – a band I loved in my youth.
Favourite song: Build / Burn
8. Knots by Bobby’s Oar
Knots by Bobby’s Oar was one of those releases that Colin checked out and immediately said ‘You’ll like this, Prew’. He wasn’t wrong. Knots is the perfect blend of emotion driven ‘sad punk’ or emo with distinct elements of folk punk. Separately those are genres that I tend to like but together it’s like the perfect cocktail of punk rock that I didn’t know I needed in my life. It turned out we actually had their previous release, 2017’s Not What I’m Looking For, in our record collection so I’ve been listening to that this year too.
Favourite song: Compass In The City
7. Rough Dreams by Rough Dreams
Rough Dreams were a band that I randomly stumbled upon when browsing Bandcamp early this year. It was their debut self-titled four-track EP that I found and I instantly took a liking to their emotional brand of pop punk. It’s catchy stuff and you’ll be singing along in no time at all. Rough Dreams are still a pretty new band, having only formed in November last year, but I’m excited to see what they do next.
Favourite song: Jack And Jawbreaker
6. The Subjunctives by The Subjunctives
Another band that I randomly found on Bandcamp, The Subjunctives also released their debut self-titled EP early this year. Packed with six infectious pop punk songs that are as much influenced by R.E.M. as Hüsker Dü, this trio really deliver with their debut. Since The Subjunctives released this in January, they’ve also put out their first full-length album Sunshine And Rainbows – which, if you like this EP, is definitely worth checking out too.
Favourite song: Anastasia
5. Murmur by Modern Shakes
Perhaps one of the London DIY punk scene’s best kept secrets, Modern Shakes have been a band for a couple of years now and released their debut this summer. If you like your punk rock a little bit gruff – think Iron Chic, Red City Radio, Burnt Tapes – then Modern Shakes are definitely a band that deserves your ears. These four songs are some of my favourites released this year to sing along to. Rumour has it (it’s not a rumour, the band posted it on Facebook), the band will be releasing their follow-up EP next year.
Favourite song: Ivana
4. We Are Disaster by Boom! Civil War
My album of 2018 was This Is For You by Australian folk punk band The Suicide Tuesdays. Sadly, the band called it a day at the end of last year but I was very pleased to hear that Joe Guiton, the band’s frontman, had a new project. Boom! Civil War is the name of that project and their debut EP We Are Disaster, that was released in January 2019, is every bit as good if not better than The Suicide Tuesdays. Packed with heart-wrenching emotion and some of the best lyrics, I absolutely adore this EP.
Favourite song: We Are Disaster
3. Mass Extinction Split by Stöj Snak / Speed Dinosaurs
It’s no secret that I love Danish folk punks Stöj Snak. When TNSRecords announced that they would be releasing a split EP by Stöj Snak and Leeds band Speed Dinosaurs – who were previously unknown to me – in April this year, I was rather excited. The split, titled Mass Extinction, is themed around ecological disasters caused by us humans. Musically, both bands offer a varied array of folk punk sounds but it is the lyrics of this release that really hammer the message home. This is an important collection of songs that should be spread far and wide. The climate emergency is real.
Favourite song: Fracking
2. Everything Trouble Meant by Katie MF
If you’re a regular reader and follower of CPRW then you’ll know that we, myself and Colin in particular, think that Katie MF is incredible. The London-based trio released their second EP in May this year. Following on from last year’s debut Learning How To Lie, Everything Trouble Meant is an EP that largely covers the feelings of a break-up and ranges from upbeat bangers like Leather Jacket to intensely emotional softer numbers such as Honestly, I’m Fine – which also features the lovely addition of some cello.
Favourite song: Leather Jacket
1. Glow by Triple Sundae
Just like Katie MF, it’s obvious that we really love Triple Sundae here at CPRW. Not only are they lovely people but they are also a band that just keeps getting better and better with every new song they write and every live show they perform. Some of my favourite live sets of the year have come from these London DIY punk heroes – plus they also released my number one EP of 2019 in the form of Glow. Glow sees Triple Sundae up their songwriting game with catchy melodies a plenty and lyrics that will have you screaming along to every word like your life depends on it. Fun Fact: My favourite song, Everything’s Cool, is actually a reworking of an older song (which originally featured trombone). The new recording better matches up to how it’s played live now.
Favourite song: Everything’s Cool
Top Ten Albums of 2019
Honorable mentions: It must be a good year for music when The Menzingers don’t make it into my end of year list, Hello Exile is a decent album but it’s not top ten material. Other releases I’ve loved this year that didn’t quite make the cut include What An Awful Life by Captain Asshole, Confessions Of A Justified Cynic by The Kimberly Steaks, Together Alone by Lone Wolf, Bonfire & Pine by Hope In High Water and Sunshine And Rainbows by The Subjunctives.
10. Deals, Deals, Deals! by Ramona
Having celebrated their 15th anniversary this year, Red Scare Industries are not slowing down when it comes to releasing awesome punk rock records. Deals, Deals, Deals by Ramona was released in June this year and I decided to check it out, having never listened to the band before, because it was associated with Red Scare. Let’s just say that I was not disappointed one bit. Deals, Deals, Deals packs quite a punch with ten sad, yet for the most part musically upbeat, indie punk bangers. Fingers crossed this trio find their way over to the UK in the near future.
Favourite song: Are We Having Fun Yet?
9. Optimal Lifestyles by Pkew Pkew Pkew
It was always going to be tricky to follow on from Pkew Pkew Pkew’s extremely good debut self-titled album that was released in 2016. It was just so much fun and, I think most of all, didn’t take itself too seriously. When the band released the follow-up, Optimal Lifestyles, in March this year I wasn’t initially sure what to make of it. Clearly the band had matured in their songwriting and there was also quite a lot of variety in sound throughout the album. After a few listens however, I was fully onboard and I haven’t stopped listening to Optimal Lifestyles all year.
Favourite song: Adult Party
8. Withdraw by Fresh
I saw Fresh live for the first time in the summer of 2016, they hadn’t released their first album at that point but I liked what I heard. For whatever reason, I didn’t listen to their debut album all that much although I knew it was good. Something about their second album Withdraw, which was released in June this year, however really grabbed my attention. Withdraw is full of indie pop punk tunes with punchy and incredibly honest vocal delivery. Their live show is a joy to watch – these four musicians have so much energy. Kathryn in particular makes me feel empowered as a female in the world of punk rock.
Favourite song: New Girl
7. Wait by Pardon Us
It felt like Pardon Us’ debut album was quite a long time coming but this September the, err, wait was finally over. I was actually lucky enough to have a review copy of the album a few months early and looked forward to Wait actually being released for everyone else to hear it too. Wait is half an hours worth of succinct and catchy gruff pop punk songs. There’s an air of anger throughout much of the album, with an evident political undertone that is more than appropriate for 2019.
Favourite song: We Aren’t The Champions
6. Hard Pop by Telethon
I decided to check out Hard Pop by Telethon when Cold Wrecks tweeted about it. It turned out to be a very, very good recommendation as what I found was a really diverse set of songs that individually had so much to offer and together made for a brilliantly complex and detailed album. Genre wise it ranges from alt-indie to pop punk and ska but that description is merely brushing the surface of Telethon. Every time I listen to Hard Pop I manage to find new little details that I hadn’t picked up on before. If that doesn’t make a great album, then I don’t know what does.
Favourite song: Chimney Rock
5. Maximum Effort by Just Say Nay
Despite what some might think, ska punk is alive and well – particularly in the New Cross scene. My most anticipated album of the year in the genre came from London based Just Say Nay. I knew it would be a good album – I’ve seen Just Say Nay live after all – but I wasn’t prepared for just how good Maximum Effort would be. With thirteen songs, including one that’s an 8 minute epic, Maximum Effort is a varied and unique take on the ska punk genre. I particularly enjoy the elements of gypsy punk that they bring to their sound.
Favourite song: Double Foxes
4. Some Legacy by Billy Liar
I’ve known about Scottish acoustic punk troubadour Billy Liar for several years but it was only after seeing him at Booze Cruise Festival in Hamburg this year that I properly realised how just how great he and his songs are. That ended up being good timing as a couple of weeks later Billy Liar released Some Legacy. It’s a full band affair for the most part which amplifies Billy’s already brutally honest and emotional songwriting. The album’s closing track, Less Vegas, has actually made me cry on more than one occasion. Powerful stuff.
Favourite song: Pills
3. Night Shifts by Überyou
This time last year I didn’t know who Überyou were. Now I can safely say that they are my absolute favourite discovery of 2019. I also now know that Überyou are one of the hardest working punk bands in the European punk scene and they are probably one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen (Shout out Booze Cruise, again!). In January they released an album called Night Shifts which I happened to stumble across on Bandcamp. I was instantly drawn to their cathartic gruff punk rock and when I started to read the lyrics I knew this was an album I had to review and just generally tell others about. The second song on the album, Survivors, may well be my favourite song of the year.
Favourite song: Survivors
2. Never Better by Burnt Tapes
Where do I start with Burnt Tapes? In 2017, I named Alterations my number one EP of the year. It is a really, really good EP – as were those that came before it. But could it be topped with their debut album? Expectations were already set pretty high but I didn’t doubt for a moment that the Tapes wouldn’t be able to surpass those expectations. What they delivered in Never Better is one of the best UK DIY punk rock albums of the decade, in my opinion (obviously). These are dark, gruff punk songs of regret but Tapes manage to communicate to the listener a feeling of catharsis. Listening to Never Better this year has been an absolute pleasure and I am very excited for where 2020 takes the Burnt Tapes. Best band in the UK.
Favourite song: Robert Cop
1. This Could Be Okay by Cold Wrecks
I want to say it was a close call between by number two and number one spots but, if I’m totally honest, I have obsessed over This Could Be Okay by Cold Wrecks like no other album in 2019 (sorry, Burnt Tapes – I still love your dearly). Although I knew the band before this album was released in May, I would say that This Could Be Okay has ensured that Cold Wrecks are now one of my favourite bands. To quote my own review of the album, ‘If you like music to make you feel something, if you like catchy melodies and honest lyrics that will stay with you long after you’ve finished listening, if you like to be able to relate to the words being sung, if you like ducks… You’ll love This Could Be Okay and Cold Wrecks. I certainly do.’ I really, really hope I get to see Cold Wrecks live in the near future – even if I have to go to the US to do so – because singing along to these songs would just make me the happiest person.
Favourite song: Bought Right In
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