As Summer officially draws to a close, the cold begins to set in, and leaves begin to turn a golden brown before ceremoniously dropping to the floor, the new music release schedule shows no sign of turning grey. September saw some of the biggest names in up-and-coming British alternative music release their debut records, including long-time Punktastic favourites Gnarwolves, Marmozets, Lonely The Brave and Rob Lynch â all of which are represented on this playlist. Additionally, Fall Out Boy returned with new track âCenturiesâ, and Canadian rockers PUP revealed the lead contender for âVideo of the Yearâ.
That wasnât all though. Hereâs 22 tracks that had us foaming at the mouth during September.
Gnarwolves â âDay Manâ
After years of releasing some of the most exciting skate-punk music this side of the millennium, Gnarwolves finally released their debut album proper in September. âDay Manâ perfectly demonstrates their combination of unrivalled tempo and melody, all driven by Thom Weeksâ distinctively gravelly vocals. [Ben Tipple]
Fall Out Boy â âCenturiesâ
Fall Out Boy have hit the promised land of being able to take time off, release a single and then be one of the most talked about bands in the world again. âCenturiesâ is a massive song which will bridge ‘Save Rock & Roll’ and FOB’s as yet untitled 6th album. Featuring a potential chorus of the year and, as always, a standout vocal performance from Patrick Stump. Centuries joins ‘Thnks Fr Th Mmrs’ & ‘Dance Dance’ as stand out songs and will fit straight into FOB’s live set. [Adam Rosario]
Restorations â âSeparate Songsâ
The lead single from the highly anticipated âLP3â has a lot of what people love about Restorations. It’s dreamy, melodic and highly comforting. It has that gradual build up with a supreme burst of energy that lulls you back to an emotional equivalent of a warm, fuzzy blanket at the end, and most important of all, it’s just plain fantastic. Simple, yet so incredibly complex. And while it does have all of those things that makes it very much what we love about Restorations, it also offers a glimpse into the natural progression from âLP2â to âLP3â and is highly representative of what can be expected from the rest of this record. [Nicole Carter]
Pity Sex â âAcid Reflexâ
Perfect, fuzzed out alt-rock, with a strong 90’s feel to it from their forthcoming split 7″ with Adventures, which is due in October. The contrast of upbeat guitar-pop, and bleak lyrical content is what Pity Sex do best, and they show no signs of changing that any time soon. [Glen Bushell]
Rob Lynch â âWhiskeyâ
Rob Lynch finally released his debut album, ‘All These Nights⌒, in the UK this month. It features the re-worked ‘Whiskey’ and it’s one of his most poignant tracks to date. He sings of memorable moments with his late father; a fitting tribute to their relationship. Rob has just announced a UK tour with Front Porch Step and Allison Weiss and they hit the road in January 2015. [Tom Beck]
Death From Above 1979 â âVirginsâ
As soon as the needle drops on the first track of DFA1979’s new record, âThe Physical Worldâ, it’s hard to believe that their debut record âYou’re a Woman, I’m a Machineâ was released 10 years ago. The third track in, âVirginsâ, occasionally beats a little slower than the rest of the record, but the dance-punk sound is still immediately recognizable, with the stoner riffs floating a little closer to the top; heavy and distorted, with a thumping drumbeat. Perfect for having my own personal dance party. [Sarah Scanlon]
The Lemonaids â âGo Bananasâ
I am a firm advocate of surf pop-punk as of now. The Lemonaids new record, ‘Back To The Beach’, makes Scotland seem really sunny and is cushioning the onslaught of winter and Fresher’s Flu really well. ‘Go Bananas’ is tongue-in-cheek bubblegum-covered fun! [Sam Kanal]
Slaves â âHeyâ
This month saw Kent based punk duo Slaves release the video for their new single ‘Hey’. The track may only be two and a half minutes long but Slaves have crammed in as many brutal lyrics and crashing cymbals as humanly possible. ‘Hey’ is available to download for free right now via the bands website and make sure you check them out on tour in the UK this November with Jamie T. [David Burd]
PUP â âMabuâ
Toronto’s Pup have made a name for themselves this year with their debut self-titled album fully cementing them as one of this yearâs top break out bands. New single ‘Mabu’ sees the band premier another top song with another top video, highlighting their catchy punk charm along with their ability to make a fun and engaging video (make sure to check out the ‘Reservoir’ video too, rawkus). [Joshua Wroath]
No Bragging Rights â âFallen Mastersâ
Seriously cool track off their new album, it features a really beautifully put together instrumental overlapping a famous speech from the Rocky films. This makes for an insanely cool atmospheric track. [Bradley Lengden]
Sundials â âStun Sporeâ
So summer is fading away slowing but we can keep a hold of some sunny vibes with the bouncy, catchy new song from Sundials which is about identity crisis. That’s a weird combination right? But it works so well. You don’t think it can get any better and then they kick in with gang vocals and the whole thing becomes perfect. [Maryam Hassan]
Mallory Knox â âShout At The Moonâ
Mallory Knox’s second album, ‘Asymmetry’, comes out next month and they have well and truly stepped it up a notch. ‘Shout At The Moon’ is just one example of how good the album gets, and just how bloody catchy the choruses are. Great stuff. [Lais MW]
Yellowcard â âTransmission Homeâ
With the release of their seventh studio album ‘Lift A Sail’ just around the corner, Yellowcard have slowly been revealing the new direction that they have taken and ‘Transmission Home’ is the perfect example of what to expect. What begins as a typically big guitar riff quickly evolves into something bolder and more ambitious as the band throw out the pop punk rule book and confidently experiment with rising choruses and instrumental bridges, whilst still delivering the sort of massive hook that the band are famous for. [Chris Hilson]
Manchester Orchestra â âGirl Harborâ (âHopeâ Version)
‘Hope’ a re-telling of Manchester Orchestra’s most recent record ‘Cope’. Delicate acoustic restylings replace the brash rock and confident pomp of ‘Cope’. Haunting, harrowing and utterly beautiful ‘Girl Harbor’ is a highlight among an album not bereft of them. [Clara Cullen]
Marmozets â âBack To Youâ
The whole album is fucking incredible but its pièce de rĂŠsistance lies in the form of the album ending ‘Back To You’ – a building track that closes out the album with style, strength and an incredible vocal performance. It’s a song that shows Marmozets are capable of so much and makes what’s to come with them all the more exciting. [Chris Marshman]
Tiny Moving Parts â âMoviesâ
âPleasant Livingâ is such a powerhouse album of intensely emotional lyrics and brilliant instrumentation. âMoviesâ is an excellent showcase of the best they have to offer. The raw and catchy chorus references many failed relationships, where success is measured in the relief of the length of a movie to distract you from how awful you are for each other. Itâs nice to have such a powerful song to remind you how great it is to be done with that part of your life. [Mat Stokes]
The Falcon â âWe Are The Baldâ
That angrier, more aggressive brother to the Lawrence Arms – The Falcon, has reared its head again and it’s everything we wanted it to be. Part of the 10 year celebration of Red Scare Industries, this is the stand out track from the compilation; fast, aggressive and catchy. Brendan Kelly is on top form, and don’t even get us started on that insanely fast bass line from Dan Andriano. [Mark Gadong]
New Found Glory â âReady And Willingâ
Pop-punk titans New Found Glory are gearing up for the release of new album âResurrectionâ at the start of October, having already gifted fans with track âSelflessâ, new banger âReady and Willingâ is yet further proof that the band will deliver another solid record. With gang chants, beefy guitar chords and a belter of a chorus, itâs a tasty slice of the pop-punk pie (or should that be pizza?). [Tamsyn Wilce]
Lonely The Brave â âTrick Of The Lightâ
One of the more upbeat tracks on Lonely the Brave’s much-anticipated debut âThe Day’s Warâ, âTrick of the Lightâ may lack the more obvious hooks of early hit âBackroadsâ but still manages to be catchy in a more subtle way and to distill the album’s essence into three and a half minutes of mature, heartfelt rock. [Rob Barbour]
Beach Slang â âAll Fuzzed Outâ
Killer label Tiny Engines deliver another brilliant release in the shape of Beach Slang’s new EP ‘Cheap Thrills On A Dead End Street’, a big step forward from their previous 7″. Opening track ‘All Fuzzed Out’ will be up your street if you’re into driving Texas-Is-The-Reason-style 90s emo and features a riff that you can’t help but bang your head to. [James Fox]
JOHN â âBig Game Tacticâ
It has been an absolute treat to work on this release. The noisy London two piece have drawn comparisons to Winnebago Deal and Mclusky. The response to this has been way stronger expected for a pair who have played just a handful of shows including a tweet from Simon Pegg. [Sam Smith]
PVRIS â âMy Houseâ
PVRIS may be seen as your typical, run-of-the-mill pop rock outfit, but for what they do, they do incredibly well. Lynnâs vocals complement their haunting lyrics, along with their huge riffs and catchy choruses. Expect big things from this Massachusetts trio. [Jess Tagliani]
You can stream a Spotify playlist of all our monthly “Best of…” tracks here. It includes all tracks from our selection throughout the year, assuming they are available on Spotify.