Tag: pop-punk

Silage was an alternative rock band from Grass Valley, CA. Their debut album, Watusi featured an upbeat blend of power pop, pop-punk and even ska. The band focused on silly, fun lyrics that were rooted in Christian faith but proved that they never took themselves too seriously. The album was filled with songs about the temptations of road rage (“My Car Makes Me Sin”), our culture’s obsession with celebrities (“Drop Some Names”), and relatedly–our own tendencies to want to fit in, as the title track “Watusi” suggests: And I go on and live my life and Hide away From you and you or me Or whoever wants to believe What I am singing and No I don’t wanna be this way Or see this way Or believe in my intention to be cool While some critics might argue there wasn’t much substance behind the band, in a very literal sense, the joke is on them.… Continued →

Indie Vision Music to release Vol. 5 in the "Fighting From The Ground Up" series on October 23rd 2026. This digital compilation will be available through all digital networks as well as on Bandcamp. Featuring a varied cast of talent and characters sure to bring a smile to any face with plenty of finger points to the stage, solo room moshing, and unforgettable bed stage diving. Expect new and recent music from Brave Days, Protect Your Heart, Light The Way, Pipe Bomb, Too Bad Eugene, Splitcast, Chase Tremaine, Gametime, Sower, Nobody's Uncle, Dire, Feeble Attempt, bloke., Sam's The Hero, Humble Kings, The Caballerials, Cold Streets, XIII Minutes, and so many more plus a special unreleased Slow Coming Day song. Will you join with us? Let's make this the biggest FREE IVM Compilation release ever! Send a song link, YouTube link, etc to: compilation @ indievisionmusic.com All our band friends, if you are reading this and you have a new song to contribute, send us an email!

Sam's The Hero have just dropped their incredible brand new song titled "In The Absence of Applause" through Small Step Records and it's available through all digital networks. This song is filled with big choruses, loads of those classic pop-punk harmonies the scene has become world renowned for, and some of the most uplifting lyrics I've heard recently. It's really exciting to find a band like Sam's The Hero still carrying the flag of Christian pop punk, proudly presenting honest, hopeful, and outstanding songs in the midst of such profound darkness in our world. These guys are the perfect combination of classic sounds found in groups like Fenix Tx, Home Grown, Blink-182, Autopilot Off, Yellowcard, Olivia The Band, Sick of Change and the lyrical output of individuals and groups like Reese Roper (Five Iron Frenzy/Brave Saint Saturn), Josh Kemble (Dogwood), Ghoti Hook, Hangnail, Slick Shoes, Watashi Wa, early Plankeye etc. Just a plain great summer jam with a deep heart tugging anthem of nostalgia and grace. Highly recommended and a solid 5 out of 5 from Brandon Jones/IVM.

North Carolina's own pop-punk band by the name of Splitcast are back with a killer new album out this year called "Day/Night" which is actually both of their new EPs put together on one complete album. These guys play fast, furious, sometimes metallic, and altogether poppy, punk rock music. Their lead off single on the album is called "2000's Pop Punk (Jimmy Ate The World)" and it's everything you love about this genre. Solid tongue in cheek lyrical mastery mixed with a heavy dose of nostalgia and reminiscing about youthful days of the past which if you're anything like me, seems like ages ago. These songs are so darn catchy and they go hard. I haven't been so impressed by a new punk rock album in quite a while (well I'm actually lying because new stuff from Super Sometimes, The Paradox, New Found Glory, Light The Way, Brave Days, Protect Your Heart, Jason Dunn, Nate Parrish, etc is just perfect summer tunes). The songs are filled to the brim with fast beats, positive and hopeful messaging, meaningful tunes about life, love, and fatherhood (When She Finds You). These guys kind of remind me of a a mix between American Hi-Fi, SR-71, Sugarcult, Ten Foot Pole, Chaser, Hawk Nelson, No Use for a Name, MUTE, and Millencolin. All the greatest guitar solos, fast punk drumming, slow ballads, and loads of harmonies. Even "Worthy of the Calling" has some heavy digging with some deep guttural screams. Splitcast are the biggest sounding band you've never heard. They have solid chops worthy of any major radio/streaming airplay and I hope we will be a seeing a lot more of them in the next year to come. Splitcast "Day/Night" out now on People of Punk Rock Records and I give it a solid 5 out 5! Catch the band at the Breaking Darkness Music Festival on August 1st!

Light The Way return with a new song today titled "Steez Machines" and it's everything you love about this band and so much more! Go listen on your favorite digital network and check out the music video right here on our website, below! It has real heart, tongue in cheek humor, anthemic choruses, and the hope this band has been conveying since day 1. It's the perfect tasty morsel of pop punk fun built for the summer of 26'. Instead of growing cynical with age these guys get brighter, more passionate, and as bold as ever proving that age is more than just a number. So hop on that skateboard, ditch the time stamp, and ride off into the sunset because pop-punk and Light The Way will never die!! Light The Way 2026.

Pop punk powerhouse, Brave Days, have returned with a brand new 6 song EP titled ​"Crisis" and it's out now! Check out the title track below and be sure to these guys a solid listen.

This new Spoken in Tongues song, “Lethal” dropped a couple weeks ago and I just have to say that it is without a doubt one of the best songs the band has ever written. The music video is genius and reminds me a lot of something straight out of the 90’s – fun, absurd, and light hearted filled with such immense joy. The song itself is upbeat but still riddled with that raw guitar yet poppy edge and Billy Power’s unique vocal stylings that sets them apart from the rest.… Continued →

Too Bad Eugene’s now classic 2002 full length album “Moonlighting”, which released on Tooth & Nail Records, is getting the vinyl treatment via People of Punk Rock Records. It’s a pre-order but shipping this month! The band recently wrapped up recording for their 5th full length that’ll see a release soon. Click here to preorder Moonlighting.… Continued →

JCHC FEST 2026 is shaping up to be one heck of a huge live festival force in hardcore, punk, metal, and a little Pop-Punk as well. Something for everyone! My boys in Light The Way were just added to the lineup so this is a show you don’t want to miss! I’m sure there will be more surprises to come. While I rarely surface in the wild, think more of a Sasquatch, I do come alive with just the right moonlight. Ha! I do want to go though.… Continued →

Protect Your Heart are on a literal roll with fantastic new material already this year! We’ve gotten “Losing My Mind” and “Run” so far in 2026 and now today they drop “Kings Rd”, an absolute fantastic, road tripping, an endearing so cal adoring new single. This perfect tribute to their beginnings and all that sums up their hometown appeal in the form of an easycore springtime anthem. Check out the music video for “Kings Rd” right here on IVM, below.… Continued →

Static Ultra have just returned after a short break to drop their comeback indie jam “Tie The Rope” which has that old school emo/pop-punk flavor blended with some post-hardcore sensibilities. This is the perfect song for spring time and the coming heat (for those of us on the West Coast, we’re feeling the HEAT right now!). Put on those headphones and jam this at full volume, you won’t be sorry you did! Check out “Tie The Rope” right here below.… Continued →

Ok so Small Step Record’s band COLD STREETS just released their brand new song “Over and Over” and it’s one of the best new tracks of 2026! It is so dang catchy, full of soaring melodies and anthemic choruses. It’s just one of those songs you’ll be singing to yourself over and over again (sorry had to do it). Pure 🔥 For context, this is a pop punkish/skate punk inspired track perfect for this incoming spring and summer days and fans of Millencolin, Rise Against, The Starting Line, Over It, MxPx, A Loss for Words, you know, like all the classics, will absolutely fall in love with this band.… Continued →

All in all, I thought 2025 was a pretty good year for music! There were a few bands I’d hoped to hear some new material from and didn’t. There were a few I didnt expect to hear from whatsoever…but we did! Then, there were even a few new bands and artists I’d never heard of before who popped up on the radar and made some really great music! As we move into 2026, I most certainly have some big expectations for the new year, as I have for years and years prior, but will they be met?… Continued →

Chainstay are dropping their brand new single “The Art of Becoming a Ghost” on November 14th! I’m super pumped for this and you should be too. Head to their socials for a link to pre-save/pre-add the single to your favorite digital service.… Continued →

Everyone's favorite pop-punk heroes - LIGHT THE WAY, are issuing their 2022 album "Long Story Short" on vinyl for the very first time! One of the most underrated and relatively unknown by many, this band has been making catchy, addictive, supercharged and passionate punk rock with a strong sense wittiness and tongue in cheek hunor since 2016 or so. The band has recently been gaining even more momentum with the release of their latest album "Expel" almost one year ago. "Long Story Short" will be available on red splatter vinyl, limited to just 100 copies and all hand numbered. The band have released a new lyric video for the song "Chameleon Eyes" from this record in celebration and can be watched below. Pre-Order your copy today via the bands own bandcamp page.

Grace Graber has been grabbing headlines lately with her spirited take on pop-punk and mid 00’s emo tunes that bring a fresh look at nostalgic yearning toward yesteryear. She has a unique take on pop music and a voice built perfect for her guitar centric sound. Mix that up with a spiritually focused and Christ centered lyrical output and any Grace Graber song will be on my radar. The fact that she got the guys in Audiophile to join her on the Hawk Nelson cover of “Everything You Ever Wanted” (hence the EP title), my friends you’ve encountered a future chart topping hit maker at hand.… Continued →

This pop-punk duo comprises brothers Seth and Paul Hyde, who are separated by thousands of miles (North Carolina to Hawaii). Seth spearheads the project, with Paul adding the drums. However, Paul spearheads the independent (and non-profit) record label Small Step Records. While I’ve been aware of GLR from quite some time, I only recently dug into their sound, and incidentally only then discovered that my friend Paul (whom I met at Furnace Fest last year, but had corresponded with before that) was in the band. I had heard them described as pop-punk, which they certainly are, but it’s a different take on the genre.… Continued →

Brave Days have just released a punk rock powerhouse of a track titled “Friendly Fire” featuring Nick Diener of The Swellers fame doing some extra awesome vocals. This is the band’s best song so far and a hint of incredible things to come. Check out the song now on your favorite digital networks courtesy of Common Thread Records or listen right here at our site below.… Continued →

I have some exciting news to share with you all today. A throwback pop-punk band I’ve been following from Hawaii just joined forces with up and coming indie/pop-punk/emo/ska label, Small Step Records. This is definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears on. Small Step Records adds Hawaii-based 4-piece Christian pop punk band, The Caballerials, to the growing roster of independent, faith-inspired artists dedicated to authentic, purpose-filled music. The Caballerials’ style is reminiscent of the classic pop punk of the 2000, laced with nostalgia and lyrics filled with faith and hope; for fans of MxPx, Homegrown, Olivia The Band, The Cootees, and Piebald.… Continued →

Speck was one of those bands that was easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. They released two albums for Bulletproof/Gray Dot Records in the late 90s. That decade produced a plethora of alternative rock bands. In fact, there were so many that at times it was difficult to keep up, and even harder to wade through them in order to find the gems among the mediocre. Speck, sadly, didn’t make a huge splash like their counterparts in Plankeye, Grammatrain, The Prayer Chain, Poor Old Lu, and the like.… Continued →

The group known as Seven Times Driven just hit a real winner out of the park and reached the Homeplate (quite literally!) with a fun and angsty pop punk anthem, perfect for those fleeting days of summer. This new song is titled “Flux Capacitor”, which would make Doc Brown smile and probably even persuade him to belt out “Great Scott” with his fist in the air during the chorus! The song features guest vocals by none other than David Newman of Small Step Records band – HOMEPLATE.… Continued →

In completely unexpected news, Noise Ratchet have returned with a NEW (demo) song called “Who We Are” and it sounds darn near perfect song wise for 2025 but also rides on that classic 00’s emo/pop-punk train alongside other classic bands like Saosin, Thrice, Story of the Year, The Used, and Letter Kills. I hope more music like this is on the way soon. Welcome back! Listen to the song below.… Continued →

Adam Nigh who is the lead front-man/bassist/songwriter for Too Bad Eugene and a current (and past) member of Craig’s Brother, has been releasing a steady stream of new acoustic “solo” songs with plenty of guest contributors. Not only are there some new songs but also new acoustic versions of classic (and newer) Too Bad Eugene tracks. These are all available via Bandcamp here and also on your favorite digital networks! What’s the old adage about (music) aging like fine wine? Well, give it a listen and you’ll agree.… Continued →

Light The Way just dropped their full music video for the heart tugging emotional new anthem, “Waterwalker”. It’s a beautiful song and a favorite of mine off their new record. Check out the music video below this post and give the band a follow.… Continued →

With Christmas being right around the corner, you know what time it is! It’s time for our annual Christmas-oriented Song of the Day entry. With a plethora of punk, indie, and even metal Christmas tunes (seriously, there’s way more than you might expect!) to choose from, it can be a daunting task. I like to choose tunes that are thoughtful, yet playful. Fun, yet reverent. I can’t think of a Christmas tune that fits that description much better than the ska/pop-punk stylings of Flight 180’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” (incidentally also my favorite Christmas song).… Continued →

Wisconsin: most known for cheese curds, dairy farms, glacial lakes, and the Green Bay Packers. It’s also home to pop-punk band Alakrity (nowadays known as At the Wayside). We’re digging deep into the band’s archive for this track. “For the Good of Getting Better” comes from their debut release, 2007’s You Are Here EP. The track features sugary-sweet melodies and fast tempos, the two main hallmarks of the genre. The song also features some really cool vocal harmonies and lots of start-stop rhythms and tempo changes.… Continued →

The Christian punk/indie/whatever scene isn’t limited to the United States. I can think of relevant bands from literally every inhabited continent, which is a truly wonderful thing. Punk band Homonovux call Mexico home, specifically the Yucatan region. They’ve released two EPs since forming a few years ago. Their musical inspiration comes primarily from 90s punk rock (new school punk, skate punk, and a little bit of pop-punk too), but their lyrical inspiration is the message of salvation. This point is made very clear on their Bandcamp page (https://homonovux.bandcamp.com/… Continued →

Los Angeles, CA. based pop-punk band Heart Like War just dropped a brand new music video for their song “Bait ‘N’ Switch”. Check out the song and music video, below.… Continued →

A brand new track from Los Angeles, CA. based pop-punk/easycore band, Protect Your Heart has just dropped. The song is titled “The Devil You Know” and it’s definitely one of their best so far which says a lot considering ALL of their songs RULE! You can catch them on the next IVM Compilation “Fighting From The Ground Up Vol. 4” in October. Check out the song visualizer, below.… Continued →

March 18, 2024, Santa Cruz, California. Minor Rockstar has released its new track “Rise” that builds off its recently released Wasted EP on Thumper Punk Records. Minor Rockstar’s latest track is an emotional reset on life, as it urges the listener to rise from darkness to light. I’m getting back all the things that were stolen from me A sense of hope, peace of mind and my dignity Was living life cast aside, down and pushed around I feel myself rising up now Rise up, rise up, rise up, rise Armed for war the goal is clear, no more fear In battle we march straight ahead, does anyone hear?… Continued →