If you’re a sucker for a bit of nostalgia, you know that the rush you get from an old favorite announcing their big return is a feeling like no other. Whether it’s the promise of new singles, forthcoming tour dates, or even a full album, a reunion is worth celebrating. Frankly, Rage Against The Machine going on a reunion tour from 2007-2011 and briefly in 2022 is definitely the type of thing you pop your best bottle of Champagne and punch a nazi for, right? Speaking of reunion tours, You may just need to secure your tickets to The Dillinger Escape Plan‘s three Brooklyn Paramount shows in June to celebrate 25 years of Calculating Infinity. These shows will be fronted by OG Dillinger vocalist Dimitri Minakakis. This will be a reunion of historic proportions.
Of course, alternative rock fans have had quite a time these past few years when it comes to favorite bands dropping surprise singles, one-off tour runs, and more. I mean, what could be more exciting than Tom DeLonge coming back together with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker to reform the ultimate trio in late 2022 with “EDGING“? From blink-182 giving it their all for fans “One More Time…” to Hey Monday‘s Cassadee Pope returning to her rock roots, these are the greatest reunions in recent alternative history that were totally worth the wait.
My Chemical Romance — “The Foundations Of Decay”
Fans of My Chemical Romance never expected the band to go on an entire mega reunion tour, let alone release a song so sonically succinct that fans swear it transports them back to the early aughts. “The Foundations of Decay” marked their first new release since 2014’s “Fake Your Death.”
Initially, the band shared their break-up on March 22, 2013, but returned to do a one-off show in LA’s The Shrine on December 20, 2019. With such an epic response to their reunion onstage, the band got to work planning more dates, which evolved into dates across North America, Australia, Europe, and more. This reunion tour also saw Gerard Way wearing various outfits each night including the famous green cheerleader outfit, a black cat, and a sexy nurse.
When it comes to reunions, no other may be better than the one MCR will have on the 2024 When We Were Young Fest stage where Way, Frank Iero, Mikey Way, and Ray Toro play The Black Parade album in its entirety as festival headliners.
Paramore — This Is Why
Paramore‘s Hayley Williams, Zac Farro, and Taylor York complement each other perfectly, and it is so evident in the trio’s 2023 release This Is Why. The title track and its Brendan Yates-directed music video emerged in the fall of 2022 with new grooves and blunt lyrical content. It’s as if their previous After Laughter (2017) grew up into a more jaded adult, and that is a true compliment.
This Is Why tackles topical/political issues such as harsh media cycles on “The News” and powerful men who don’t get held accountable on “Big Man, Little Dignity,” which are contrasted by delightfully sunny guitar melodies. The return of Paramore delivered grandiose sonics, urgent belts, and depressing lyrics. This combo will, admittedly, always be welcome back.
Fall Out Boy — Save Rock And Roll
Most people remember where they were when Fall Out Boy announced they were taking a “break” in 2009. It was all too vague, and even Wikipedia wrongly described the band as an “indefinite hiatus.” For me, this “break” was a formative experience reminding me of the fragility of life and time. Though they had also put out their greatest hits record in 2009 and Folie à Deux in 2008, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andy Hurley, and Joe Trohman were clearly far from done as a unit.
Following the split, each member had a chance to breathe and experiment. Stump shared his debut solo record Soul Punk (2011), Wentz got involved in the electropop group Black Cards (which included Bebe Rexha), and Trohman and Hurley worked with metal supergroup The Damned Things.
Though, randomly, on the now-hallowed day of February 4, 2013, Fall Out Boy returned with a new single “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up).” On top of that, they announced a new record Save Rock And Roll in tandem with a full-on reunion tour. Save Rock And Roll did just that, with cameo vocals from legends Elton John and Courtney Love. Plus, who could forget the major feat that was “The Youngblood Chronicles“—a collection of music videos for each track on the record?
blink-182 — ONE MORE TIME…
The reunion of blink-182 made grown men cry. (Trust me, I checked the YouTube comments.) Needless to say, few things are more iconic than the trio of Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker, and their 2022 single “EDGING” was a proper reintroduction. After all, DeLonge immediately began the track with “I ain’t that cool/A little fucked in the head,” over classic pop-punk melodies and Barker‘s beats.
After leaving the band in 2014 and being replaced by Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba, DeLonge returned upon hearing of Hoppus’ cancer diagnosis. Together, the “I Miss You” artists crafted their 2023 record ONE MORE TIME… featuring the likes of “ANTHEM PART 3” and “DANCE WITH ME.” Though, that’s far from all they accomplished together this year. The band headed out on a North American arena tour with Turnstile and Beauty School Dropout, they headlined When We Were Young Fest, and most importantly, they played at a Denny’s. We can’t wait to catch them being iconic in 2024 with Pierce The Veil as they trek across North America for round two.
The Summer Set — Blossom
It was a sad day when vocalist Brian Logan Dales declared that “The Summer Set will not be making any records or touring plans indefinitely,” in a 2017 Tumblr post. Prior to going on hiatus, The Summer Set had a stunning run beginning in 2009 with Love Like This featuring breakout single “Chelsea.” The band couldn’t be stopped and was on a roll with Everything’s Fine (2011), Legendary (2013), and Stories For Monday (2016).
Unfortunately, Logan Dales cited falling out of love with music as the need to disband. All band members stayed busy, exploring new art avenues. Brothers Stephen and John Gomez created band TWIN XL alongside Cameron Walker-Wright. Also, Babes Behind The Beats idobi Radio co-host and drummer Jess Bowen toured with the likes of JAX, Lights, Tessa Violet, and more. Plus, The Summer Set vocalist tried his hand at solo work under the name DALES. Though, on August 23, 2021, the official band Instagram page had a new post. “hi, we’re back. new song this friday,” the caption reads. In a follow-up post, they noted, “Thanks for waiting five years for us.”
Of course, you already know, The Summer Set returned with a fresh euphoria-inducing pop single “Street Lightning Forever” from the 2022 LP Blossom. The band’s new record also saw thrilling collaborations including “Teenagers” with Against The Current and “FTS” featuring Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes. This is the delicious musical treat with equal parts heartfelt retrospection and upbeat hopeful lyrics we all deserve to enjoy over and over again!
The Ready Set — Cherryland
The Ready Set may be a solo project from Jordan Witzigreuter, but we consider his major return with Cherryland to be a wonderful reunion with fans. The “Killer” singer has notably also performed with Nekokat and under the pseudonym Onlychild, who even collabed with Little Hurt and American Teeth along the way. 2023’s Cherryland marked The Ready Set‘s first full-length record since 2016’s I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love. In fact, Witzegreuter fascinatingly juxtaposed the new track “ACT 2” as a counterpart to 2016’s “Disappearing Act.”
“Still in the place you found me, but I’m better than I was before/‘Cus you stuck around me/Now I don’t want to disappear, not anymore,” he sings in “ACT 2.” In every facet, whether you consider it lyrically or sonically, The Ready Set has matured into an even more authentic version of himself, far exceeding his breakout “Love Like Woe” days. After catching TRS on a few shows of the Boys Like Girls Speaking Our Language Tour, we are more than hopeful to catch the game-changing bouncy synth-pop Cherryland tracks, which include “Loose Change” and “Teammate,” out on the road in 2024.
Cassadee Pope — “People That I Love Leave”
Cassadee Pope returned to her alternative roots on 2023’s single drop “People That I Love Leave” followed by “Almost There” and a collab with Taylor Acorn on “Coma.” Following a stunning rise to fame with The Voice and subsequent country music hits, it’s a lovely welcome home for the Hey Monday singer. Additionally, Pope went T. Swift mode and shared “Wasting All These Tears (Cassadee’s Version)” and added a wealth of guitars and booming basslines to her twangy 2013 hit. We can consider the new reimagining as a mini-reunion of sorts as Hey Monday bandmate and guitarist Alex Lipshaw also helped produce the track “Wasting All These Tears (Cassadee’s Version).”
As far as reunions, fans of Hey Monday‘s Hold On Tight will get to hear the album in full at When We Were Young Fest 2024. This reunion will certainly be one for the books, and hopefully it will lead to a few more Hey Monday shows down the road. No matter what genre, we are cheering for every band member from the sidelines. Though, in an interview with idobi Radio’s Nick Major, Pope did say that upcoming tracks are “strictly pop-punk and rock.”
The Veronicas — GODZILLA and HUMAN
It’s likely that The Veronicas were the sound of your childhood. After all, 2005’s “4ever” was a very important song on the She’s The Man (2006) soundtrack. Beginning their music career with The Secret Life Of… (2005) and Hook Me Up (2007), the twin sister duo then debuted their self-titled LP in 2014. From there, they didn’t release a full-length until 2021 where they released GODZILLA on May 28 and HUMAN shortly thereafter on June 25. Two brilliant, buzzy, heartfelt albums back-to-back was a true treat for fans of The Veronicas. These LPs included previously released singles including “Biting My Tongue” and “The Only High.”
Perhaps one of the most thrilling moments of 2023 was seeing The Veronicas reunite on the massive When We Were Young stage to debut their new song “Perfect.” We are absolutely elated to hear what The Veronicas have in store for the upcoming LP Gothic Summer out in early 2024 via Big Noise. The duo’s newest track “Detox” is, ironically, incredibly intoxicating.
Boys Like Girls — Sunday At Foxwoods
After putting out their 2006 self-titled debut LP with singles including “The Great Escape” and “Hero / Heroine,” the Massachusetts-based band skyrocketed to Billboard-charting fame. Three years later, Love Drunk solidified Boys Like Girls further as modern rock royals where they even collabed with Taylor Swift on “Two Is Better Than One.” We thought we’d seen the last of BLG after they released their third LP Crazy World in December 2012, but we’re so glad we were wrong.
In a recent chat with Boston.com, lead vocalist Martin Johnson, aka The Night Game, noted that the band never broke up and had an “unannounced hiatus.” That hiatus broke with the drop of “BLOOD AND SUGAR,” the sexy, flirty electro-pop debut single for their 2023 record—one of our favorites from the year—SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS. The band took new bangers including “LANGUAGE,” “THE OUTSIDE,” and “NEW LOVE” on the road with fellow alternative mainstays including LØLØ, Every Avenue, SayWeCanFly, and many more. On the tour, Boys Like Girls recruited other supporting acts 3OH!3, State Champs, The Summer Set, and The Ready Set to make the reimagined track “THE OUTSIDE (OUTSIDERS VERSION),” and frankly, we would wait another decade to witness a collab this major again.
