
The Losing Score – Peachy Keen, Avril Lavigne
Genre: Pop Punk, Emo, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: Weezer, PUP, Joyce Manor, Remo Drive, Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Foo Fighters
There’s plenty of tribalism at the heart of embracing any kind of genre of modern music. Naturally, there are pros and cons to this. There are few things as satisfying as the nod you might get on the subway from someone wearing a similarly oriented punk or metal- t-shirt. It’s a lot like being on a secret.
Naturally, the downside comes with the fact that it’s the very same people that will feel hut and abandoned when their favorite artists opt to do something that their core audience does not expect. However, for the artists that manage to walk their path without interruption and to steady the ship each time that the waters get high, mass acceptance eventually awaits them.
The Losing Score’s Peachy Keen, Avril Lavigne manages to reveal to us two fundamental truths. In 2022, big pop-punk hooks are cool again. And, in 2022, Avril Lavigne is cool again, and once more, the crush of pop-punk kids everywhere. It’s comforting to reacquaint ourselves with these things and to soak up the energy and pleasant melodies of The Losing Score.
1/4 Chubz – Who’s Next?
Similar artists: The View, The Undertones, Ash
Genre: Punk, Pop Punk, Indie Rock
Most people, if questioned, will tell you that they want their entertainment, and especially their art, to be honest, to reflect on what the world is really like, to act as a teacher. Most of them are lying to themselves. Truthful art is the equivalent of someone telling you that you’re fat and should cut down on cupcakes. It might be true. It might be helpful. But, few people will want to hear this.
Perhaps, this is the line that, ultimately, delimitates mainstream music from underground music. It has been the same for decades. And, judging by the fluff that is on the charts, it’s not getting any better. Most audiences prefer music that will act as a form of escapism. Pop music is the cupcake and soda that hypnotize the masses into trudging along. There is little room on the charts for topics that carry any real weight or sounds that reflect the brutal nature of reality.
1/4 Chubz’s Who’s Next? examines the more terrifying aspects of reality from a place of knowledge. This is not information that the musicians wished they had either. The song is written on the anniversary of the suicide of their original lead singer. It’s an event that, naturally, leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Some of them are about the man who has lost his life. Some of them, of course, are about what this means for the people that survive him. It’s a thorny topic that deserves to be investigated by sounds that are as nasty and unforgiving as the event itself. 1/4 Chubz are honest about their grief and confusion. You couldn’t ask for more.