Want to see what was in our mailbox? We've been getting a growing number of submissions lately and unfortunately we can't write reviews on all of them. Sometimes the bands are great, sometimes they're not, occasionally they're a little outside our genre, but nevertheless, it's new music. And new music should always have the chance to be heard. So we've thrown together this section that contains an ongoing listing of the submissions we've received but can't get around to giving a wholehearted review to. Look around, you might like what you hear.
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Weeks of August 7 - 20, 2011
Wolves At Bay - Hailing from Hamden, Connecticut, the hardcore punks have just signed with Animal Style Records. Head to their bandcamp site for a download of their EP, "The Night a Forest Grew".
For Fans Of: Small Brown Bike, Balance and Composure, Senses Fail
SWTHRT - The North Carolina natives bring a DIY punk aesthetic to their often raw and bare bones music. They just released a video for their track, "No Holiday". Check out their latest record and band info on their bandcamp.
For Fans of: New Order, The Cure, Joy Division
Weeks of: July 24 - August 6, 2011
Ghost Robot Ninja Bear - While their name might be a bit outlandish, don't let it sway you from the progressive sound of the Brooklyn, New York outfit. With great punk choruses and gritty vocals, it's clear these guys live on their live show. Be sure to grab their self-titled CD.
For Fans Of: Burning Airlines, Small Brown Bike, At The Drive-In
Early & Often - The West Coast indie rockers are releasing their brand new EP, Present No Fiction, Fear No Tense, and will doing a short California tour in support of the new album. Check out some of their tunes on their website.
For Fans Of: Explosions In The Sky, Happy Body Slow Brain
Nightlights - The Daytona Beach, Florida natives are currently on a US tour to help promote their new full-length album, So It Goes. You can stream a few of their tracks from the new LP on their Facebook page.
For Fans Of: Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, Handguns
The Mighty Fine - With their second full-length album set for release on August 16, the central California rockers are also gearing up for run of shows in the California area. You can listen to some of their music on their Facebook page.
For Fans Of: Farewell Continental, The Bravery, The Matches
Week of: July 17 - 23, 2011
Banquets - The Jersey City outfit are preparing to drop their debut full-length album, Top Button, Bottom Shelf, next month. You can get a listen to their infectious punk-themed track, "Sometimes A Wolf" on their AbsolutePunk profile.
For Fans Of: Gaslight Anthem, Polar Bear Club
Week of: July 10 - 16, 2011
Restorations - If you're into swirling sounds, a pinch of grit and all-around melodic records, you'll fall hard for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based Restorations' new Self-Titled album. It mixes hints of punk, classic and indie rock together seamlessly. The album is currently up for download on the band's Bandcamp.
For Fans Of: Silversun Pickups, Jets To Brazil, Fugazi
The Wild - The Atlanta, Georgia outfit have just released a CD entitled, A Collection, which in itself is a compilation of work featuring out-of-print singles, live songs, EPs and split releases. They're offering a digital copy for free, with a suggested donation of just $5.
For Fans Of: Mumford & Sons, Dropkick Murphys, Manchester Orchestra
Monument - Hailing from Washington D.C., this indie rock quartet are currently on tour across the East Coast and parts of the Midwest. They're out in support of their latest album, Goes Canoeing, which was released on CD, digitally and on limited edition colored vinyl.
For Fans Of: Happy Body Slow Brain, A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, Gavin Castleton
Week of: July 3 - 9, 2011
Broadcaster - New to the scene, the Long Island-based indie rockers are hitting the studio to record the followup to their EP, Joyride. You can get that four-track EP for free download on Broadcaster's Bandcamp.
For Fans Of: Weezer, Death Cab For Cutie, The Thermals
The American Scene - Upbeat, catchy and honest pop-punk is hard to come by these days. But, The American Scene are bringing just that to the genre. Their new album, By Way Of Introduction, is reminiscent of when pop-punk was pop-punk. This California-based band are sure to meld nicely into the Warped Tour and rock club scenes across the country. Get to know them now.
For Fans Of: The Starting Line, Mansions, Motion City Soundtrack
Luther - The Philadelphia-based rockers have just signed with Black Numbers, and their album, Siblings & Sevens, is set to be released by the label on August 16. Packed with soft-rock punk hooks, Luther are one band not to be missed. Stream their first single, "The Communion" on Absolute Punk.
For Fans Of: Jimmy Eat World, Terrible Things, The Get Up Kids
Cattle Drums - With their EP, The Boy Kisser Sessions +3, being released at the end of last year, the Oneonta, New York based indie rockers are hitting the road for full US tour. Blending a mix of indie, hipster, pop-punk and any other genre you can throw at them, Cattle Drums are certainly a band for those on the cutting edge of the in-crowd.
For Fans Of: Tiger's Jaw, Look Mexico
Week of: June 26 - July 2, 2011
Half Hearted Hero - The New Bedford, Massachusetts pop-punkers have released their latest EP, Running Water, on 12" vinyl in a variety of limited edition colors. If you're into pop-punk that sticks to its roots, then HHH are worth checking out. They're currently on tour along the East Coast. Have a listen to some of their work on their Bandcamp.
For Fans Of: The Starting Line, Late Nite Wars, Transit
Week of: June 19 - 25, 2011
Otenki - Houston, Texas based alternative rock outfit. Having been around the scene since '05, Otenki have made appearances on Warped Tour and Taste Of Chaos, and have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in rock today. They'll be releasing their second EP, Kinetic, later this summer.
For fans of: Armor For Sleep, Anberlin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Sister City - A two-piece indie rock duo with a DIY mindset. Their album, Carbon Footprint, is streaming on their bandcamp site and available for download.
For fans of: Manchester Orchestra, The Influents
The Reveling - The Brooklyn, New York based band have just released their debut full-length album, Tributaries. With a sense of working class punk running through their veins, the band have made a lethal mix of raw, energetic punk-rock. Not to be missed if you like the "good ol' days" of the scene.
For fans of: Rancid, The Dropkick Murphys, Gaslight Anthem
