Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
Drive-Thru Records is arguably the most important label in the Pop Punk landscape, and there really isn’t much to argue. Started in 1996 Drive-Thru Records has given us bands such as Midtown, The Starting Line, RX Bandits and Chicago’s own Allister to name a few. With the recent surge in amazing Pop Punk records and bands Drive-Thru Records is looking at getting back in the mix. The last bit of news I heard about Drive-Thru is that owners Richard and Stefanie Reines applied for a $250,000 grant to start the label up again. Assuming everything is moving along positively with the grant we now switch focus to The Stellar Life. The band Drive-Thru Records is relaunching around.
See now the title of this article makes sense. The Stellar Life recently released their debut EP “Motherf*uckers”. The EP clocks in at Eighteen minutes and overall is a nice listen. The problem is that this is Drive-Thru Records first release since 2007. So we have to look at this EP as a Drive-Thru Records release. So many great albums/EPs were released on Drive-Thru Allister’s –Last Stop Suburbia, New Found Glorys-Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Starting Lines-With Hopes Of Starting Over and many more. Is “Motherf*uckers” in that category…no. The first track “Nineteen” clocks in at 4:48 so it is not your typical short, fast punch in the mouth opening tack. “Rock and Roll” sounds like a Drive-Thru Records track. It’s catchy as hell and will stay in your head for days. The EP ends with “Got F*ucked Up” a nice, infectious pop punk tune.
I can’t wait until Drive-Thru Records is back and signing up bands to expose to the world. This is a great thing for the Pop Punk Scene and a great thing if you happen to be in a band.
Listen to The Stellar Life’s “Rock & Roll” Below
Real Friends are a pop punk band from the suburbs of our beautiful city. This year they released their EP “Everyone That Dragged You Here”. Shortly after the release Real Friends exploded and solidified themselves as the top pop punk band in Illinois. Everyone That Dragged You Here is filled with honesty, frustration, and passion. Oh and boney Knees can’t forget that. One thing that Real Friends does perfect on this EP is have music that is intelligent and thought provoking and that can also be screamed at a show. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the lyrics in Floorboards: “I don’t want to be jealous of the trees next to my neighbor’s garage anymore”
I love that the lyrics make me stop and think. Floorboards is track one on the EP and it’s a great first track. Every song is distinct and memorable. That’s what makes this EP so good. The last song on the EP is Home For Fall a song about a friend going away and it has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard
“Maybe you’ll be here next year to waste the fall away, watching the leaves blow across my driveway We could listen to American Football and talk about high school Just like we did the years before”
Any band with an American Football reference is okay in my book. Since Real Friends will most likely go the way of Fall Out Boy and be assumed to be a Chicago band I don’t think we should argue about it. On behalf of Chicago Real Friends you have made us all proud. Every scene has their band in New Jersey you have the Crucial Dudes,Philadelphia has The Wonder Years, and Now Illinois has Real Friends.
Real Friends discuss what the songs on Everyone That Dragged You Here are about. It’s definitely an interesting read-Song Meanings Stream Everyone That Dragged You Here-http://realfriends.bandcamp.com/album/everyone-that-dragged-you-here Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/realfriendsband You can also vote for Real Friends to be a constant on the Q101 Stream-VOTE HERE!
I don’t remember how we found each other but I like to think that the universe had a plan all along. A few years back Ben emailed me and asked me to listen to a band he was in called The Enders. After listening to a few songs I instantly became a fan. Fast forward to today where below you can listen to the first song off of The Enders debut album “The Ruins Of Ambition” .
The song is called “Take Control” its a fast hard hitting hardcore track that builds even more anticipation for the full length.I asked Ben what the song was about and this is what he said
“The song is pretty straightforward… directly attacking politicians and the government for dishonesty, as well as the average American’s willful ignorance in all things political, and my refusal to play along… mostly”.
The Enders debut album “The Ruins Of Ambition” is due out in June. For all things Enders head over to their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/theenders
There are currently no events to display.