Sunday, June 07, 2020

Kat Music For Kat People Vol IV - The Longest Fe​-​Line

There are so many wonderful things I can say about the new sampler/comp from Bloated Kat Records (the title alone would merit a full book of praise). But what I dig most about this project is how perfectly it aligns with my own mission at F & L. Whether you call it melodic punk, pop-punk, powerpop/punk, or something else entirely (I do like the ring of "an unstoppable force of hooks and riffs"), this music we love is going stronger than ever in 2020. Kat Music For Kat People Vol IV - The Longest Fe​-​Line seeks to showcase some of the top artists making poppy punk music right now. Quite a few of these bands are on the Bloated Kat roster, but many are not. If you follow today's scene super closely, you might know most of these songs already. But the sheer volume of this collection makes it extremely likely that you will be hearing at least a few of these bands for the first time. I also think this comp does a fine job of demonstrating how diverse this scene is. If you're of the mind-set that all "pop-punk" sounds the same, these 35 tracks will strongly refute that. Some of these bands lean more punk than pop and vice versa. Some are pure power pop. Some bring to mind the grand old days of indie/alternative rock. Not all of these tracks are for everyone, but there's something here for everyone. I take a good deal of pride in being a geek for this type of stuff, and I was entirely unfamiliar with at least half of these songs. I am not worthy! Now I've been busy digging deeper into the likes of Big School (powerpop/punk from Canada - how did I not know about these guys before?!), Peachier (old school indie pop from Maine), The Headies (pop-punk from Delaware), The Sleeping Aides and Razorblades (awesome Japanese power pop), and Robot Bachelor (a pop-punk supergroup I have no excuse not to have known about). Perhaps this comp will send you on an odyssey of musical discovery as well. This is a great time to be into poppy punk rock because there are so many awesome bands out there. And there are several really excellent record labels that specialize in this particular niche. Bloated Kat Records is one of them, and it merits your further exploration (and mine too!).



-L.R.

https://bloatedkatrecords.bandcamp.com/album/kat-music-for-kat-people-vol-iv-the-longest-fe-line
https://www.facebook.com/BloatedKatRecords

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