Celebrating its 16 year anniversary this month on April 29, Smartpunk Records is reissuing The Cab’s 2008 debut studio album, Whisper War. This is the first time the vinyl has been available to purchase in 15 years. “It would be hard to talk about the legacy that is Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance without mentioning The Cab’s 2008 debut ‘Whisper War,’” Smartpunk Records Label Manager Matt Burns shares. “I remember hearing the album when it first came out and thought how incredible the production was (and still is) and the enormous hooks in the choruses. It’s hard to say whether or not… Read more »
Smartpunk Records is bringing their Smartpunk House back to the iconic South By Southwest fest (SXSW) for the fifth year in a row. It’ll run March 16 and 17 at the Empire Garage and Control Room in Austin, TX, and begin at noon local time. Music enthusiasts will not need a pass to enter the free showcase. The lineup is a blend of newer indie emo/rock with acts such as Winona Fighter, Proper., and Remo Drive to classic staples in the scene such as Spitalfield, Sparta, and Bob Nanna of Braid. With a label that’s been around since 2016 and… Read more »
Smartpunk Records are celebrating 20 years of blink-182 releasing their ‘(untitled)’ album with a very special compilation.
Indie rock darling M.A.G.S. has unveiled his latest single, “Sequence 07,” which will appear on his forthcoming full-length album CREATOR. The 9-track album is scheduled to arrive later this month on August 23 via Smartpunk Records and can be pre-saved here. Elliott Douglas, the mastermind behind M.A.G.S., shares, “This was the very last song we recorded during our time together, and we had limited time because Ehmed [Nauman] was scheduled to leave town that evening. We woke up early and just dove in head first. My nugget of inspiration was to recreate the feeling I get from the verses of… Read more »
Pop-punk music is overflowing with nostalgic and new acts, and they all coexist to create a community for the misfits, misunderstood youth, and adults who want to feel heard. We all can find something to love about the genre’s confessional lyrics, ear-worm choruses, and fast-paced rhythms. Northbound, the moniker of Jonathon Fraser, is a new artist embodying everything beloved about pop-punk on his latest album, Juniper, which just came out on July 12 via Smartpunk Records. The release encapsulates the glory days of early 2000’s pop-punk nostalgia combined with the production quality and modern-day edge of 2024’s brightest scene artists.… Read more »
After releasing dazzling, nostalgia-inducing singles such as “North Star,” “Baby’s Breath,” and more, Northbound‘s Juniper is finally here via Smartpunk Records. Across his 10 tracks, Northbound, aka Jonathon Fraser, harkens back to the early aughts sonics that many elder emos still hold close in their hearts. On Instagram, the artist shares, “Juniper is here. In summer ‘22 we rented a small house in Miami and began the process of what would unequivocally become the most chaotic 2 years of my life. After we finished tracking, @samguaiana somehow convinced me to move to Los Angeles with him. Soon after I moved, my ear… Read more »
Pop-punk artist Northbound, aka Jonathon Fraser, is back with a new single, “Baby’s Breath” from his forthcoming fourth record Juniper. The 10-track LP is due out on July 12 via Smartpunk Records, and also features previously-released tracks, “North Star,” “Science,” and “Big Tune (Fuck Off Forever).” Fraser says, “‘Baby’s Breath’ is one of the first songs I wrote for this album. Writing this song had the magic that you look for when creating. It popped out of my head and into a demo session with zero effort.” He continues, “I knew I had found a very important piece of the… Read more »
The Cab are back! The band has posted a short video featuring a snippet of a new track called “Running Late,” which will appear on the group’s upcoming record. In the video taken from the studio and posted to their social platforms on Monday, April 29, fans can hear frontman Alex DeLeon’s vocals accompanied by a gospel-style choir singing. “This has been both the hardest and most rewarding album we have written,” the band explains of the song’s meaning in the post’s caption. “So much has happened in our lives. Smooth skies and turbulence. Love and loss. Fears and fight.… Read more »
Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties know how to make a comeback. Today, the ensemble has released their third single, “Alone At St. Luke’s” from their upcoming album, In Lieu Of Flowers. The album will arrive on April 12 and continue the narrative story of the evolving, fictional life of Aaron West. Boisterous vocals, glorious trumpets, and tied together with banging drums, the group delivers a song that triumphantly draws a scene of hopeful desperation. Vocalist Dan Campbell explains that this song came from a COVID contraction during the band’s 2022 UK tour. “It became an indelible part of the… Read more »
Beauty School Dropout has released a reimagined version of their single “one night stand you” via Verswire. The original version is off of their latest album, READY TO EAT. Last week, they released a black-and-white music video for the track. Vocalist Colie Hutzler is authentically raw in his delivery. While the original song is more poppy and pointed, the acoustic take illustrates a quiet pain. Listening to either style, the meaning of the overall single doesn’t change. Hutzler explains, “Much like drugs, I believe love (or lust) is a substance that can just as easily be turned into a crutch… Read more »
