Have No Clue - Same Stories, Different Faces

Hungary's Have No Clue just released a solid EP. Fast, aggressive pop punk, check it out.

Grandview and Free Throw Split

Two of my favourites, Grandview and Free Throw just released a split acoustic EP. Meadowbrook Records is also doing a limited run of tapes for this release.

Smalls- Expecting The Worst

Los Angeles' Smalls, just released their new ep "Expecting The Worst", fast, female fronted pop punk.

Boy Castle- Full Of It

Thunder Bay's Boy Castle just released their new EP "Full of It".

Flip The Scene- Elm Street

New single from New York's Flip The Scene.

Harbour- All My Exes Are Dead To Me

Toronto's Harbour recently released their debut EP "All My Exes Are Dead To Me". Catch them on tour with July this Summer.

June 21 | Saint John NB | Peppers Pub | 19+
June 22 | Fredericton NB | Capital Complex | 19+
June 25 | Halifax NS | Gus' Pub | 19+
June 26 | Moncton NB | Plan B | 19+
June 27 | Charlottetown PEI | Baba's Lounge | 19+
June 28 | Halifax NS | The Pavilion | AA
June 29 | Port Hawsburry NS | Shindigs | 19+
July 1 | Quebec City QC | l'Agite | 19+
July 2 | Ottawa ON | Cafe Dekcuf | AA
July 3 | Oshawa ON | The Atria | 19+
July 5 | Toronto ON | Warped Tour | AA
July 6 | Georgetown ON | TBA
July 7 | Brampton ON | All Stars | AA
July 8 | Waterloo ON | Maxwells | AA
July 9 | Toronto ON | Sneaky Dees | 19+
July 10 | Guelph ON | A.N.A.F Club | AA
July 11 | Hamilton ON | Club Absinthe | AA
July 12 | Caledonia ON | Lions Hall | AA
July 13 | Brantford ON | Club NV | AA
July 14 | London ON | Norma Jeans | AA

Handguns- "Stay With Me" Music Video

Brutal Youth- Stay Honest

Check out Toronto's Brutal Youth, 90s influenced melodic hardcore punk. For fans of Kid Dynamite, Shook Ones, Gorilla Biscuits.

Review- Heard North "Arrows"

Band- Head North
Album- Arrows
Label- Unsigned
Release Date- May 28th 2013 
Reviewed By Justin Kwok

Emerging from the woodwork with their debut EP Arrows, Buffalo, NY’s Head North offers a refreshing spin on pop rock that probably would’ve secured them a comfortable spot on the 2005 Fueled By Ramen roster.  Boasting a polished whimsicality, Arrows captures the essence of bands like FUCT-era Fall Out Boy and The Academy Is..., cutting the unnecessary sass, all the while maintaining the genuine earnestness of a pop punk child raised on stage dives in a legion hall.

Kicking things off with an appropriately subtle build up, the thirty second title track is no understatement of an opener. Singing “We were the fire set by sixteen years of sitting still”, vocalist James Celeste ensures that the direction of the EP is clear right off the bat.  The vocal delivery is an immediate standout, exhibiting a rich charisma that would make William Beckett proud.

The next track, “Stay Young”, picks up the pace, drawing rather effectively from the Rise or Die Trying library of easycore riffage.  The song-writing, while a tad played out, is certainly infectious, riding on the back of youthful lyricism and vibrant melodies. Lyrical references to The Smashing Pumpkins and Donnie Darko sprinkle an additional touch of relevance on the otherwise quintessential pop punk subject matter. With eloquent guitar leads acting appropriately complimentary throughout the EP and rolling double kick drum rhythms bringing the intensity at the right moments, it would be fair to say the instrumentals are fairly spot on.

Tracks like “See You Next Tuesday” and “They Made Me Do It” continue to showcase the glamorous vocal work, with the latter providing one of the finer moments of the record in its echoed chants of ‘”oh we’re getting deeper”, culminating in a stacked harmony followed by a breakdown. While “You’re a Knockout Kid” feels like the type of beach girl anthem that Hit the Lights or Fight Fair would have done in 2008, the closing track “Act or Age” definitely exhibits some Dangerous Summer-like vibes, allowing a fair bit of variety in the 6-track EP.

Overall, Arrows is definitely one of the more varied offerings you’ll find in a genre that’s become quite heavily saturated as of late. Anyone who enjoys the pop in their pop punk best not skip over this.

FFO: The Academy Is, Fall Out Boy, Four Year Strong, I Call Fives

Safe To Say-With Everything In Between

Ontario's emo/punks Safe To Say just released their debut full length and a brand new music video. Get into this band, for fans of Citizen, Turnover, Daylight.