It sure feels like Spring has arrived in little old Portland, Oregon. With the sun out and flowers blooming, I’m ready to turn my music away from gloomy, melodic, indie rock Winter jams to more energetic, spirited genres. Fortunately for us all, Philadelphia-based pop-punk purveyors The Wonder Years are out on the road with new music!
Formed in 2005, The Wonder Years have been steadily cultivating their dedicated fan base and have released 3 studio albums and 8 EPs. Having worked with Hopeless Records and No Sleep Records, the band has produced some legitimate albums over the years, touring with everyone from Streetlight Manifesto, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, Good Charlotte, Four Year Strong, Valencia, Yellowcard and Saves The Day. The band has even been featured on Warped Tour.
Part of what sets The Wonder Years apart from other pop-punk bands on the scene is their message of positivism and their ability to “make pop-punk cool again.” Reviewsic compares the band to Motion City Soundtrack and The Starting Line while highlighting the band’s Myspace manifesto post-Upside release: “…if you take one thing from this record, I hope it’s this: Don’t give those mother-fuckers an inch. Stand your ground every chance you get because everybody deserves a chance to be happy.”
The band’s new album Suburbia: I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing has fans new and old praising the band for their tight harmonies, percussion-heavy breakdowns and story-telling lyrics – a relatively unique phenomenon among the current, seemingly stale pop-punk scene. In a recent interview, singer Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell says the album is about “finding your place in the world in different aspects – kind of physically, geographically and metaphorically – more on an emotional level. It’s a record about coming home.”
Just to give you a taste of what’s on the album, here’s the official video for “Came Out Swinging” featuring all kinds of pranks and mayehm:
Now for the good stuff: The Wodner years just officially announced yesterday they’re releasing a new 6″ split with Stay Ahead of the Weather!
The Wonder Years are definitely one of the bands to keep your eye on this year who have plenty in store for their fans. I suggest you check them out live and see for yourself! They’re on the Glamor Kills Tour with stops at El Corazon on March 24th and The Hawthorne on March 25th. As always, you can pick up tickets for you and your friends now through Cascade Tickets!
