Soundwave

2020 has been huge for out of nowhere announcements. In May of this year skateboarder Tony Hawk and Activision announced the return of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series with it's next installment to be released on September 4th. Along with that they announced along with their partners Spotify that the soundtrack would feature some of the classic tracks from the first two titles including "Superman" by Goldfinger, "Guerrilla Radio" by Rage Against The Machine, "When Worlds Collide" by Powerman 5000, "No Cigar" by Millencolin, and "May 16" by Lagwagon. Now yesterday with their new partners Noisey they announced the full soundtrack along with artists like Machine Gun Kelly, A Tribe Called Quest, Less Than Jake, Billy Talent, MxPx, Zebrahead and others. Here is the full soundtrack by Spotify and Noisey: A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick It?" A. Swayze & The Ghosts - "Connect To Consume" Alex Lahey - "Mi

In 2020 the hardcore scene seems to be thriving and putting out some of the best material that 2020 has seen thus far and Lifelong are no exception to that. After surprising fans with their lead off singles "Above The Waves" and "Empty Roads" the band showed off two sides of this record which flow and blend perfectly from catchy pop punk hooks and aggressive hardcore tunes, making this one of the most entertaining releases of the year thus far. When the band arrived to the scene the band's more aggressive leaning "Revive The Masses" wowed fans with their faith based rallying hardcore tunes reminiscent of bands like Comeback Kid, Stretch Arm Strong, Altars. The band's debut release continues on with the same vibe while also adding it's own unique touches which aids the record to give the listener a well executed full throttle drive of melodic-hardcore glory. Former Confide members Joel Piper and Trevor Vickers really stepped up their game here a

New eras of life can be something of beauty; and that beauty can bring on creative art. As for Neck Deep we see the band entering a new era of life full of new relationships and new endeavors. For lead vocalist Ben Barlow we see him entering a new relationship as we saw on the one-off singles "She's A God" and "Torn", and as for the band themselves they welcome new member Seb Barlow into the collective. So all of this leads up to the question what does Neck Deep bring to the table on their new album "All Distortions Are Intentional". The album is an ode to new lovers that much is apparent and the overall sappiness of the record tends to borderline on cringe with how overtly "love centric" this album is and somehow the music and the overall vibe feels tainted as a result. Now the album is still pop-punk at it's core that's still the main vibe and some of the hooks are catchy and memorable but the more cleaned up sound and the higher si

Relient K.  One of the greatest and most influential bands in both the Christian and Independent markets have one of the longest running discographies for a Christian rock band; Taking their musical journey from the edgy days of pop punk and punk rock, to the more midwestern styled days of alternative rock n' roll, to the more commercially driven days of pop rock, and even to the more indie rock styled music in recent years. This band is one of the scene's favorites so in honor of returning to discography rankings we will be ranking from worst to best all 8 studio albums from the alternative rock band Relient K. * Please note that while we are ranking the discography this will not include the band's holiday releases, the b-side and rarities record, the covers record, or the live record.* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Num. 8: "Collapsible

*Announcement* We're excited to announce that we will be dropping the best albums of 2020 (thus far) list next week. Compiling what we think are the best releases of the year thus far. Ranging from Jan. 1st to Jul. 1st This will be one the biggest releases of the year for us and we hope that you're as excited as we are.

Slick Shoes - "Whispers" Legendary punk rock band Slick Shoes have returned. After laying dormant for years the band returned in 2018 and have been going at it ever since; With the announcement of their comeback record "Rotation & Frequency" we were gifted the lead single titled "Whispers" which begs the question does this track hold up to the Slick Shoes standards?, the answer is yes as this is Slick Shoes in their truest form and has been pleasing fans thus far. This is Slick Shoes at their prime as the track shows us that this is a band that can come back after years of slumber and come back hitting harder than ever; This track feels like it could have come out of the "Self-Titled" or "Far From Nowhere" as well as a hint of "Rusty" in there for good measure. The production on this track is crisp, the riffs from Jackson Mould and Jonah Peterson are top notch, the drumming from Joe Nixon are fast paced and exhilarating, a

Slick Shoes - "Rotation & Frequency" 2020 has been excellent when it comes to releases and album announcements this year. Earlier today the legendary punk rock outfit Slick Shoes announced the release of their first album in 17 years called "Rotation & Frequency" which is set to release on September 25th through Tooth & Nail Records. There will also be a new single which is set to drop this Friday. Who else is excited to see a new release from this legendary punk band?

Fit For A King - "The Path" The past 24 hours have been exciting for new music, especially for metal and post-hardcore fans. Add Fit For A King to the list because they have announced that they are releasing their new album titled "The Path" which is set to release on September 18th once again through Solid State Records. There will also be a new single coming out this Friday. Who else is excited to hear enter this new era of FFAK?

If I Die First (Independent Super Group) In 2020 Post-Hardcore is generally not as fresh as it used to be what with more modern tending to hop on more modern trends to influence their sound. Well with If I Die First that logic completely does not apply here and instead goes back to the basics and makes a hard hitting and well invested rock song. If I Die First being a supergroup is compiled of soundcloud rappers Lil Lotus and Lil Zubin in addition to guitarist Nedar Braden, Travis Richter of From First To Last, and Ghostemane members Rake and Kale. To classify If I Die First is simple; they are without a doubt a post-hardcore / screamo band straight out of the scene days of the early 2000's. The band's post-hardcore and hard rock sound feels very nostalgic and well produced, the vocals from both Lil Lotus and Lil Zubin sound great and flow very well together, and the music is crisp and well played. My main complaint with the overall package is the lyrics; there's just somet

Peabod - "Big Feelings" In the current world of hip hop the brand has now been associated either soundcloud rap or trap rap, but there is one rapper that has been making a name for himself with his own brand of "Happy Rap" is the one and only Peabod; who made a big splash in 2018 with his debut full length titled "Healthy Snacks" which was a nice mix of quirky yet thought provoking pop rap and alternative hip hop ala John Reuben or Hoodie Allen. With this new track "Big Feelings" however we see a more darker style and tone compared to Peabod's previous work dealing with a wide variety of topics that currently plague modern life; this is definitely a more mature vibe for Peabod and it's a welcomed edition to his catalog. Now Peabod is no stranger to having guest features on his tracks going from the likes of Hollyn, Sky The Pilot, Oweshin, Chad Mattson of Unspoken, Marty of Social Club Misfits. This time around it's underground rapper

Heirloom - "Heart And Spine" Indie / Post-Hardcore band Heirloom is a band that we've had on our radar for quite sometime now and it looks like that the band is going to be dropping their new single called "Heart And Spine" on July 17th. This is a small band that has a small following so showing some love to indie bands is a great feeling. For a Post-Hardcore band that has been overwhelmingly consistent it's safe to say that this is a band to keep a look out for.

Invades - "Technology" To say that things have been interesting in camp Invades is an understatement. The cancelation of tours plus losing band members is tough on any band; but in the midst of heartache the band have found some light. After cleaning out their Instagram the band posted a picture with the title "Technology", potentially teasing new music. This is big news for the band especially after leaving their contracts with Sharptone Records and UNFD.  This will be their first new music released as an independent band since "Unbroken" in 2018. After loving their 2019 release "The Moon / The Earth" it's exciting to see the band back with new music down the pipeline.

Islander - "Freedom" After almost four years of little of no material Islander are back and have announced their new record called "Freedom" which is set to release on July 31st. Something that is interesting about the artwork which is obviously political given the time that we are all in, but it's the parental advisory warning on the bottom right half of the cover. It will be interesting to see their take on things given the current events that we are facing. It's been a while since we've heard new music from the guys, so it's exciting to see this finally drop.

So far 2020 has been an exceptionally good year amidst the coronavirus pandemic. A couple months ago Fit For A King brought us into the era of FFAK with a more radio friendly single "Breaking The Mirror" which seems to be doing rather well for them on the charts. And now it seems that we will be getting new music from the band on Tuesday according to their Twitter handle which reads "you'll know more on 7/7". Some fans speculate that it will be a new song that they debuted on the abruptly ended "Dark Skies World Tour" with Chelsea Grin, Crystal Lake, and Alpha Wolf; called "God Of Fire" which featured Crystal Lake vocalist Ryo Kinoshita. Whether it will be "God Of Fire" or a different song entirely it's exciting that we will get to hear new music from Fit For A King soon.

American Arson - "A Line In The Sand" A little well known but well loved punk rock band American Arson set a very high bar with their 2019 release "Rise & Fall", which showed us what they could do with a label behind them and set the tone for what their debut record "A Line In The Sand" would intel; This record not only is American Arson at their best but also shows how much they have grown over the years as a band. A Line In The Sand feels very timely with today's current events, whether it be the coronavirus pandemic, the racial injustice in the world at large, the protests and riots in our streets, and even the battle between human vs flesh. This record not only is very heavy in it's politics but also in it's spirituality as this is a faith based punk rock album.  This record is a welcome edition to the Facedown Records lineup, alongside the likes of Deathbreaker and Dens; Facedown Records has had an amazing year so far with bringing new

Social Club Misfits (Hip Hop Group / Artist) In 2020 hip hop has been having a great year and now Christian hip hop giants Social Club Misfits are set to release their upcoming new record "Loved By Heaven, Feared By Hell" which is set to release this fall. With all that is going on in the world right now with the coronavirus pandemic, the protests, the riots, the racial injustice, and people fighting for change in our country; with a title like that we're expecting nothing but greatness from the boys in Social Club Misfits.

The Hero And A Monster (Independent Metalcore Artist) Christian metalcore band The Hero And A Monster have teased new music on their socials with the tag that reads "Y'all ready for another song?"; Now if you are aware of The Hero And A Monster you know that we've covered them in the past so to know that new music is coming is exciting. The previous single "Heathens" which features Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King is an excellent metalcore romp with vibes of Killswitch Engage, August Burns Red, Fit For A King, Haste The Day. If the new single hits hard like "Heathens" then we will be in for a surprise.

Lifelong (Solid State Records Artist) Pop Punk / Melodic-Hardcore band Lifelong have announced that they will be releasing their second single "Empty Roads" off of their forthcoming debut album "Above The Waves" tomorrow through Solid State Records. If you are not familiar with Lifelong here's a bit of their back story. The band was formed by former Confide members Ross Kenyon, Trevor Vickers, and Joel Piper. The band released their debut independent ep "Revive The Masses" which garnered fans from both the Christian hardcore and secular hardcore scenes; After Ross exited Lifelong the band continues on as a duo. The first single "Above The Waves" carried more of a pop punk sound in the vein of bands like Four Year Strong, Chunk! No Captain Chunk!, Close Your Eyes, Set Your Goals. With this new single "Empty Roads" it sounds like we're going to get more of that hardcore sound from their debut ep. Lifelong seems to be on the right

There comes a time in a person's life where changes need to happen. And with said changes some things end up being left behind; In the winter of 2018 an independent website was made, which turned into The Music Enthusiasts in the fall of 2019. The Music Enthusiasts has seen a surge in popularity that was made possible by a small but rising community. Under the name The Music Enthusiasts a small team began to do things that none of them thought that they could do on their own. But in recent times the name and it's legacy seemed unlikely to continue under The Music Enthusiasts brand. So as of today (July 1st. 2020) the brand will continue on as Soundwave. Soundwave will continue on with the same goal. To bring people the content that modern media outlets forget or else refuse to report on when it comes to the music industry, to highlight artists that in other ways would not get the recognition that they deserve, and finally to bring a sense of family and community to the modern p