Loren

Here in Scene Point Blank Land, I sometimes get lost in the inbox of endless submissions and new music. I find things I like, but the great digital expanse still makes the records feel, well, a little too distant. Music is supposed to be personal, even if I'm not standing in the front row of a dimly lit room soaking … Read more

It was about a year ago I discovered Unseemlier, shortly before the release of I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere. It's a wordy title and a somewhat unwieldy band name -- and I’ll use that “a lot going on in a little space” metaphor even further to talk about the band's "heavy emo / soft punk" sound. It's singsong at … Read more

It feels like a lifetime ago when Mitt Romney referenced a "war on women" during the 2012 presidential cycle. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same -- but a new politically-charged band formed in the aftermath of that comment, calling themselves War On Women. Now, roughly 14 years later, War on Women are releasing their fifth full-length … Read more

The Arrivals have been a band for 30 years -- though they’ve made us wait 16 years for the follow-up to 2010’s Volatile Molotov. While a ton of time has passed and the band has moved, literally in some cases, and raised children in others, their sound is still the same: thoughtful and timeless DIY punk, rooted in foundational rock … Read more

The less I say about 2025 the better. Well, except to say that Scene Point Blank's 2025 Year End coverage is in development so, actually, I'll be talking about the year a lot. Search/Play/Repeat is a sporadic playlist feature that's just about sharing music though, instead of hitting some topical … Read more

It's been a while since I put another playlist up. I actually had this 99% done a couple of months ago, but everything went haywire and the list went on hold. This edition of Search/Play/Repeat is a quick play, running about 30 minutes in total. Enjoy! Read more

Visual Learner, BlackDots, City Mouse, Couch Potato Massacre Cloudland Theater Minneapolis, MN May 7, 2025 I’m embarrassed that I haven’t covered any shows at Cloudland for SPB previously. It’s a relatively new addition to the Minneapolis scene and a welcome addition that feels as much like a community space as … Read more

Sometimes I get all introspective and ask myself why I do this. Not very often, but the answer is always because I like music. It's that simple. I like to discover new stuff and I like to share it. Every year, the staff at Scene Point Blank sink a ton … Read more

It's our pleasure to share Midnight City, the third album from Austin, TX based Drakulas. The band features members of some well-known bands, namely Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against, but this project takes a new turn with protopunk meets early new wave that describes a dark underbelly of a world … Read more

Punk band The Sleights and Land of Wolves have a new split EP out later this month, King of the Mountain, out on May 22, to be preceded by co-headlining live dates in Washingotn state. Expect joint dates in Colorado later this year. The four songs from The Sleights come … Read more

Paths 2 Glory of Philadelphia, PA has joined the Allegedly Records family. The band self-released The Ups and Downs on April 3, with Allegedly set to re-release the 6-song record on May 15. Abbreviated as P2G, the band formed back in 2003 and draws influece from the '90s-'00s punk of … Read more

Yesterday The Flatliners released new album Cold World (Equal Vision/Dine Alone). Along with the new record, they also teamed up with Punktendo to release a quest game modeled after The Legend of Zelda. The band in the northeastern US now and heads to California at the end of the month, … Read more