Rancid
Honor Is All We Know
Epitaph (2014)
For years I was the biggest Rancid fan. The first record I didn’t buy on its release date was B-Sides & C-Sides, and that’s because I already had the songs. I was an unapologetic completest. As the post-2000 records have been coming, I became an apologetic completest. I bought the double album version of Let the Dominoes Fall and spun … Read more
Rancid
Tomorrow Never Comes
Epitaph (2023)
Other write-ups I see of Tomorrow Never Comes are basically calling this Rancid V, Part 2. The cover art looks a bit like the back of that album, actually. And while there is some merit to the comparison, I think that description is misleading. This record absolutely shares that style of short, repetitive, and angry punk songs but it has … Read more
Sage Francis
Human the Death Dance
Epitaph (2007)
After 2005's A Healthy Distrust Sage Francis cemented himself as one of hip-hop's biggest heroes as well as one of it's most despised figures. Francis seemingly blurred the line between mainstream and the world of underground mix tapes, coming out as a possible savior of hip-hop, the opposite of rappers Nas blasted on Hip-Hop is Dead. While A Healthy Distrust … Read more
Set Your Goals
This Will Be the Death of Us
Epitaph (2009)
Set Your Goals follows up their debut album, Mutiny!, with yet another fusion of pop punk and scarce hardcore elements. For those of you unfamiliar with Mutiny!, let me sum it up for you in a few brief sentences. It was light and fun. It was catchy at times. Yeah, I kind of dug it, but it got pretty textbook … Read more
Some Girls
Heaven's Pregnant Teens
Epitaph (2006)
Some Girls is an enigmatic conglomerate of musicians that produce incredibly grating and challenging pieces of music. Considering the pedigree of this band, expectations for its output have consistently run high. Seriously, what would a listener expect from a band comprised of members of Unbroken, Swing Kids, The Locust, American Nightmare (Give Up the Ghost), and more? Most would probably … Read more
The Draft
In a Million Pieces
Epitaph (2006)
What happens when you are part of an established, kind of well-known (definitely well-known in all manner of independent music circles) band and one of your fellow members decides to take a break? Well, in this case, you start a "new" band and immediately begin writing an album. This is exactly what The Draft isââ¬Â¦Hot Water Music minus Chuck Ragan … Read more
The Draft
The Draft
Epitaph (2007)
This self-titled EP from The Draft, a digital-only affair (No Idea also released two 7"s with the songs on them), is four songs that are leftovers from last year's In a Million Pieces, so if you didn't like the full-length, you won't like this, and if you did like it, you'll like this. Pretty simple. The first song, "Stop Wastin' … Read more
The Lawrence Arms
Metropole
Epitaph (2014)
When The Lawrence Arms released Oh Calcutta! back in 2006, it was billed by the band as a collection of songs utilizing the back-and-forth, high octane punk they enjoy listening to—a conscious decision to switch-up their sound for a record. Then, life happened and the group took eight years for a new album. 2014 brings Metropole, and even with the … Read more
The Lawrence Arms
Skeleton Coast
Epitaph (2020)
When a band is releasing its third new record since 2006, you’d expect some inconsistency. The Lawrence Arms seem to be timeless though. With Skeleton Coast they pick right up where they left off Metropole (2014). Take the opening stanza of “Dead Man’s Coat” as an example. Beginning with Chris McCaughan’s soft and wanting melodies, it’s unmistakably The Lawrence Arms. … Read more
The Menzingers
After The Party
Epitaph (2017)
The Menzingers are a four-piece punk band from Scranton, PA, sharing the same hometown as band sibling Tigers Jaw. Although not musically the same, The Menzingers have a similar lyrical purpose to The Smiths: to tell detailed, emotional narratives about everyday people. Except, instead of about middle-aged well-read women and ambiguously gay recluses, it’s about 20-somethings sporting tattoos of high … Read more
The Menzingers
After The Party
Epitaph (2017)
For the past 7 or so years I have been saying that The Menzingers are the best current punk band around. Not only do they put on a hell of a live show, but their records resonate weeks, months, years after listening to them. A punk band that manages to stay relevant, it's impressive. The Menzingers are a band that … Read more
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
When God Was Great
Epitaph (2021)
Okay, look: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones need no introduction, but here's one anyway. These suit-clad gentlemen may be Boston’s most important punk export. For over 30 years, they've been active in the city’s hardcore scene and introduced masses of American kids to the sounds and messages of real ska music. They never fell into the suburban skate punk trappings that … Read more
The Muslims
Fuck These Fucking Fascists
Epitaph (2021)
Fuck These Fucking Fascists is the fourth full-length by the Muslims, and their first on Epitaph. As the name suggests, it’s complex music steeped in subtle political theory. Just kidding. This is straight-up angry, screamy punk with overt politics. Which is often needed, especially in the current environment. Besides the title track, other song titles include “Crotch Pop A Cop,” … Read more
The Sidekicks
Happiness Hours
Epitaph (2018)
The Sidekicks are a band that I still pay attention to past my “punk only years”—you know, the years of my youth when only punk music and anything within that sub-genre mattered to me. I know, how naive. But it was also naive of me to brush off The Sidekicks as just another sub-par punk band. Throughout the years I … Read more
The Transplants
In A Warzone
Epitaph (2013)
I grew up on Rancid and they introduced me, eventually, to a much wider world of punk rock than what I caught on late night Headbangers Ball and 120 Minutes episodes. Or, for those who didn’t get where this is going from that intro sentence: I feel that I have to qualify why I’m listening to In a Warzone, the … Read more
The Weakerthans
Reunion Tour
Epitaph (2007)
Few of us lead the jet-set life, so when television and tabloid magazines glorify the lives of celebrities it often leaves us feeling ordinary and under whelmed. Could our lives be that anti-climatic? Where does meaning lie in the routine? Is there anything extraordinary about everyday life? John K. Samson wouldn't answer the question straight; instead he'd tell you a … Read more
Thursday
Common Existence
Epitaph (2009)
I always love it when bands make each album different from the last one. Which is why I love Thursday, each of their albums have been something different and something great. With that being said, their latest album, Common Existence is heavily influenced by their hardcore roots combined with the lighter approach of A City by the Light Divided. However, … Read more
Thursday
No Devolución
Epitaph (2011)
It’s comforting when a band can successfully progress. Some stay stagnant—resulting in some stale and boring music. Thursday’s a band that has been progressing since they started writing Full Collapse. Slowly, they’ve been redefining what Thursday should sound like. With their sixth studio album, No Devolución, not only has the band’s songwriting gotten even better, but they’ve taken their biggest … Read more
