Summer is coming in fast and furious like a bald guy in a muscle car, by that I mean we’re still in the midst of spring yet the sun seems to not be paying attention to what season it’s supposed to be because its fooking hot here in England and we need some good ol’ summertime records to spin to help us make the best of it, so here are some albums to accompany you in the sun…

Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You

Pop-Punk goes hand in hand with the summer time, it’s like wine and cheese but for fun people (or immature depending on your perspective). The typical youthful spirit that comes with pop-punk makes for the perfect distraction to forget your responsibilities of being an adult and to just enjoy the sun beaming into your face and Neck Deep’s Life’s Not Out To Get You has all the anthems to help you do just that.

If you miss the glory days of pop-punk back in the early noughties when BLINK-182, SUM 41 and GOOD CHARLOTTE were running rampant then Neck Deep’s sophomore record is a must-binge as they do a brilliant job of harking back to that period without feeling like a nostalgia-act or a lesser band than those that surround them. Alongside THE WONDER YEARS and THE STORY SO FAR, Neck Deep are a stand-out modern pop-punk band and their next album is much anticipated for good reason.

Joyce Manor – Cody

I understand that the Melancholy nature of emo means that it doesn’t seem like the best suggestion for the summertime feel good vibes but Joyce Manor aren’t like most emo bands. Their songs are short, sweet and played with such vigour that if it wasn’t for the mass amounts of melody you’d mistake them for a punk band and it’s those melodies sung above Joyce Manor’s fantastic guitar tone that make this album perfect for the summer.

They sit in the same scene as bands such as MODERN BASEBALL and PUP, in fact all three of those bands released a record last year but unfortunately for Joyce Manor they released their album in October missing out on the benefits of summer which would’ve definitely resulted in thousands of more plays from me alone, however I will be making up for it this time around.

Four Year Strong – Enemy Of The World

Four year strong are overlooked in my opinion, they’re brilliant at putting together 3-minute sing-alongs where the pace never dips and if it does its because there’s a breakdown about to be introduced, like we weren’t having a good time anyway. They remind me of a modern NEW FOUND GLORY with the way they meld pop-punk with hardcore beatdowns and they’re pretty fudging good at it.

This album is full of pop-punk essentials, it’s an onslaught when it comes to catchy choruses and the vocal play-offs by Alan Day and Dan O’Connor make for a very fun time with every listen. The songs never let up but the first three opening tunes specifically (they have long names so look em up yo’selfs) are classics in their own right. If you enjoy this one you should also check out their newest self-titled album, though not as good as Enemy Of The World it still makes for a worthy follow-up and we’ll just forget what came in between shall we.

The Front Bottoms – Back On Top

The Front Bottoms are a hard band for me to describe, Wikipedia says they’re a folk-punk band which doesn’t make much sense, firstly the only thing that links them to punk is their DIY ethic and I think the only reason folk is paired with it is cause they have an acoustic guitar which is absolute fucking absurdity. Some people will even say they’re an indie rock band but they’re clearly better than that. However Spotify’s related artist column reads a lot better as it suggests JOYCE MANOR and MODERN BASEBALL which is way more accurate of their sound but i’d also add that they are heavy on their pop hooks and have surprisingly dynamic twists and turns especially on Back On Top.

The reason I include this album on this list is because each and every song has moments that will invade your memory for eternity, whether its the chorus of Laugh Til I Cry or the “this is what I want motherfucker, make it happen for me” line in the track HELP, you’ll for sure be singing it for the foreseeable future. There are a few downer moments on this album but for the most part this is a very joyous record.

Your Demise – The Kids We Used To Be…

There are many hardcore albums suitable for hanging outside with a couple of friends, drinking cold beers whilst nodding along to some beefy riffs, THE GHOST INSIDE’s Get What You Give, any album from THE BRONX or even Dead Set On Living by CANCER BATS fairs nicely with sun but I have decided to go with Your Demise’s underrated gem The Kids We Used To Be. From the intro to this album you can tell Your Demise are up for the fun times and don’t take themselves too seriously (Get The Fuck Out Of Little Rock echoes my point further) which perfectly sets up what feels like a pure party album but with relentless crunchy riffs.

Hardcore bands usually have a way of making the listener feel a part of the gang and Your Demise don’t break this tradition as the album has themes of friendships and growing up together (just look at the cover). Life of luxury would be my stand out track with Mike Duce of LOWER THAN ATLANTIS lending his vocals, it makes for quite the hardcore anthem. If you’re having a bonfire anytime soon this is what i’d recommend as the soundtrack.

All these albums are good all year round so even if you’re not experiencing nice warm weather you should give these albums a listen. I’ll probably do another list of good summer albums cause there are a lot of em, whether that’d be this time next year or as we actually enter the summer window (knowing England we’ll have rain all summer anyway) so please follow to stay tuned if you enjoyed this blog, thanks for reading, see ya!