Sometimes you want to listen to a record that doesn’t overthink things, especially in the pop punk genre. No frills. No gimmicks. Just heart-on-your-sleeve hooks delivered with conviction until your voice is completely shredded by the time you hit track four. Knuckle Puck’s debut album Copacetic is just that. The Chicago quintet carved out their lane with urgent, uptempo guitars that lean into early 2000s skate-punk energy. But similar to The Story So Far’s lead vocalist Parker Cannon, Joe Taylor’s “sing-yell” vocals (best way I can describe them?) strike the perfect balance between a raw shout from the rooftops that adds a bit of emotional weight. And the band really nails the downtempo stuff too– “In Your Crosshairs” is a hidden gem on the album that explores the well-worn pop punk tropes of betrayal in a fresh way. This is a really fun pop punk album that is going to find it’s way into my rotation.
Standout Songs: “Wall to Wall (Depreciation)”, “Evergreen”, “True Contrite”, “In Your Crosshairs”, “Pretense”, “Untitled”
