Neck Deep pulls out all the stops to remind the listener why the band remains a mainstay of pop-punk and rock music, combining its energetic pace and genuine lyrics to form an exceptional piece of art. The album is more than worthy of bearing the band’s name as its title, as this is the most definitive version of Neck Deep to date.

Hotel Bleu, the fourth album from alternative outfit Broadside, demonstrates an earnest and sensible progression for the group. The album recalls the youthful energy of the band’s early works, as well as the mature and darker tinges of 2020’s Into the Raging Sea, and brings all of these together with a modern sensibility. Broadside gathers an eclectic blend of pop, rock, and alternative sounds, occupying a unique sonic space and making for a truly entertaining listen from top to bottom.

Together In Lonesome, the third album from Canadian outfit Youth Fountain, sees the act fully embrace the aggressive, fast-paced pop-punk stylings present throughout previous works, hone in on the project’s trademark emotional lyrical content, and refine the equally impactful vocal delivery that expertly conveys the wide array of heavy and dark feelings discussed.

A concise encapsulation of a band’s twenty-plus year-long tenure is hard to achieve, but Taking Back Sunday’s eighth album 152 seems to have accomplished just this. The most signature elements cherry-picked from their entire discography are found within, from the angst-ridden vocal performances of their earliest works to the driving rock ‘n’ roll of their more recent releases. This album sums everything quintessential and identifiable about Taking Back Sunday into a single listen. 

In the current wake of a nostalgia-ridden emo resurgence, it would have been quite simple for a band like Boys Like Girls to reunite with a record of throwback-inspired pop-punk music, play cuts like “Love Drunk” and “The Great Escape” on tours and festivals worldwide, and cash in on the legacy of their heyday. Instead, Sunday at Foxwoods is a fresh and inspired compilation of songs that presents a renewed sense of energy within the group, feeling more like a youthful up-and-comer’s debut than a seasoned veteran’s reintroduction. Sunday at Foxwoods evokes the exhilaration of a windows-down late-night drive, with many cuts feeling right at home on the soundtrack to an 80’s coming-of-age film.