When I say straight edge, it means so much more than just being drug-free. Still excited about hardcore punk music, I just can’t easily separate my commitment to this way of life from the whole subculture of straight edge and the sense of community that goes with it.

In the beginning of the year, we’ve been eager to share some of our favorite straight edge records of 2018, but there are so many other bands with sober minds and X’d up fists who are doing their best to be a voice of resistance in a time of mass self-destruction, or just enjoying themselves with pounding music for stagedives and singalongs.

In any case, it’s up to us—the straight edge kids—to talk about all the new and upcoming bands we’re excited about. So here is a list of fifteen up-and-coming (generally underrated) straight edge bands I’ve discovered recently. I’m sure you already know some of these, but also might have missed to check the others.