More Pop Punk- Hold Tight!

WHOA the troubling kids have been slacking, huh? Sorry guys, things have been busy. Record Hospital (10pm-5am weekdays on whrb.org) has a new DJ schedule and it’s so boss. We’ve been able to do little but listen to it and sleep. So glad school’s back is session so I can hear my tunes. I’ve heard a little bit of Hold Tight! on there and in case you missed it I thought I’d post ’em. They hail from Richmond, Va and their album, Blizzard of ’96, was released over the summer on Animal Style Records. The album has killer choruses for sing-a-longs and heartbreaks. Listen especially to Alex Wilhelm; he really knows his way around the drums. It’s fast (14 songs in under 28 minutes) and honest (I know what it’s like to lose years and still have nothing to show for it.) AND they’re on tour!! If you can, see them with Choke Up!

SUNDIALS Never Settle + New Album Pre-sale

Formed in Richmond, Va in 2010, Sundials is on the verge of releasing their second LP, When I Couldn’t Breath. The single New York Crunch has already dropped and I’m already obsessed. Right off the bat it reminded me a lot of Weezer, which I don’t think we get nearly enough of in powerpop these days. It’s a really catchy and promising song. I’m on the edge of my seat to hear the rest of Breath.

Sundials’ first album, Never Settle (Toxic Pop Records, 2011), is also catchy, but has it’s ups and downs. The production quality is sometimes iffy, some of the songs fall flat, and many lack originality. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is really fantastic, (see Carver Blues & Take You In My Coffee) but more than anything it promises that if the band keeps up and finds their direction they’ll hit hard with their second album. And the time has finally come! … Almost. You can Pre-order When I Couldn’t Breath from Asian Man Records here and Sundials has hinted that they might stream the whole album on their bandcamp closer to the actual release date. In the meantime you should just buy Never Settle, which might be a little generic but is definitely fun and smart. You can also hear one of their first releases on the first Sharp Corners mixtape!