Manic Kat Records have recently announced the release of their summer sampler featuring Noise Brigade, Wired For Havoc, Get Busy Living and others. Among them is Rival Town’s “See Through,” an anthemic pop punk track with heart and soul. Check out the track by track below and the music video from Rival Town.
At Manic Kat Records, we love long summer days at the beach, going to concerts and festivals, and hanging with our best friends. The only other thing you need? The perfect soundtrack for the best days of your life. Enter the Manic Kat Records Summer Sampler.
We start the fun off with Noise Brigade and their hard-hitting summer anthem, “Theme Song for a Long Island Backyard Show.” This quintessential fast-paced pop punk song embodies the freedom and excitement of the first days of summer. We were actually lucky enough to kick off Summer 2017 with a Noise Brigade tour (after the release of their album “This is Fine” earlier in the year) and loved having our Alaskan/Oregonian counterparts join us in the Northeast. The Noise Boys encore on the Sampler with their nostalgic single, “Summer in Black and White,” which you can catch on YouTube or through the band and label.
The sampler takes a harder turn with the newest single by When Thieves are About, entitled “Youth Decay,” off their upcoming and highly anticipated album scheduled to debut this fall. Thieves have been rocking the NJ punk scene with their gritty punk rock and larger than life stage presence. It’s a toss up if we love them more for their catchy and intricate riffs or their personality.
It was hard to narrow down which Wired for Havoc songs to use in our Summer Sampler since “Roll with the Punches” is a record we could listen to in its entirety (on repeat). But we had to, so we went with “Patience” and “Dis-order.” Endorsed by Moniker guitars and SJC drums, the wildly talented members of Wired for Havoc present topics we feel passionately about, including mental illness and friendship as a saving grace.
Cult Classic is a supergroup mashup of some of our previous punk favorites, including Deagle, Torch the Throne and MKR alumnus Reflective Insight. Their new single “Talking Heads” off of their 2017 EP release “Resistance” is a volatile response to the turmoil of current events and was a natural inclusion to the soundtrack of 2017.
In another reiteration of MKR alumni, our own Rob D. beguiles audiences with his metal project NoraStone that has toured extensively with multiples releases. This track, “Ether,” shows off the heart and soul of this driving hard rock band.
Pop punk powerhouse Get Busy Living takes the next slot on our Summer Sampler with their first single on Manic Kat Records, “Burn and Repeat.” We can’t wait to see what else they bring to the table with their EP set to drop later this year.
Our favorite Canadians, Rival Town, join the party with “See Through,” the single off their upcoming EP. Rival Town fans can expect a slightly new direction with this single, although it maintains the same quality and energy found in every RT song. The video is pretty cool too. And of course, no dance party would be complete without their other hit, “Dance Ironically,” off “Call it Like it is.” As the song says, “There’s nothing wrong with being happy.”
The Summer Sampler dance party continues with bass-driven “8 Bit,” by Queens natives Jump for the Sails. Following up their single, “X Marks the Spot” on their Manic Kat debut album “Astoria,” this song and “Dead Men” showcase the melodic funk and punk runs of this inspired trio.
Unfortunately, like any good summer day, the MKR Summer Sampler eventually must come to an end. In this case, we have Bad Case of Big Mouth serenade us out with the acoustic version of “Growing Distance.” This heartfelt song addresses addiction and relationships and makes us think of hoodies and bonfires and the struggle for a happy ending.
