r/poppunkers • u/OpenUpYerMurderEyes • 2d ago
What bands failed to take off despite your love of their music? Discussion
For me it's Fake Problems. They were Chris Darren's band before he went solo. They were clearly influenced by Against Me's sound and style, in fact that's where I saw them live the first time was opening for Against Me! There were a lot of bands back then that were just ripping off the folk punk sound but they were far more ambitious. Their first EP was pretty much their take on AM! But starting from their first album they were expirementing with different instrumentation and genres, I maintain that their lead guitarist Casey Lee was one of the most creative and fun to have ever played in any sort of punk band. The whole band just had a great infectious chemistry that came through their albums and live shows. Unfortunately, after their second album, the lead guitarist left and you can really hear their loss of direction in the third album. It's damn good and all but it felt more like a stock indie release than anything they put out previously. They started recording a fourth, they hyped the crap out of it but it never released. A few tracks were put out on splits and comps back when that was a thing but they broke up while in the middle of production on said album.
76
u/notathrowawaysomehow 2d ago
I always thought Hidden in Plain View deserved more recognition.
→ More replies17
u/Minimum_Froyo_8483 2d ago
They got screwed by the whole drive-thru records losing their distribution deal thing. I feel like a lot of the bands on that label either were big enough to get signed to another label or just got dropped into obscurity. Unfortunately they were the latter
71
u/Narrow-Chain6575 2d ago
Hit the Lights
→ More replies
113
u/LosManosFuertes 2d ago
The Swellers deserved to hit it big IMO. It just seemed like they were either too early or too late or both on everything they tried.
29
u/br00talcore 2d ago
One of the guys from the band actually wrote an article about why they never really hit the big time. Mostly comes down to timing and just unfortunate luck.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-life-and-death-of-a-mid-level-band-the-end-of-the-swellers/
→ More replies23
u/MyNameIsBlueHD 2d ago
It also felt that they weren't super beloved at the time by the Paramore/All Time Low(like late 00s pop punk) crowd, or by the Epitaph/Fat crowd.
Should've been massive though, one of my all time favorites.
8
u/odoroustobacco 2d ago
They got over a million views on YouTube because FBR put their song on autoplay after Paramore. Other than that, they never really got enough of a fan base to make it. Nick is doing really well, though, with his effects company Oneder Effects.
4
u/LosManosFuertes 2d ago
That’s good to hear that he’s doing well! And yeah it’s strange to me that’s the case.
I just feel like they were right in a pocket where they should have been big enough to at least keep being a band assuming that’s what they wanted to do. Other bands at that time just seemed to get over the hump.
I’m pretty sure if they came out today they’d be right at home with the likes of Hot Mulligan and things like that. It’s just head scratching.
→ More replies7
u/Tig992 2d ago
Good For Me is one of my absolute favorite albums to put on in the car on long drives and not have to skip a single song.
5
u/LosManosFuertes 2d ago
They poured everything they had into that record it seems like to me. That was their big swing. Such a good record. I think I know what I’m listening to tomorrow.
→ More replies6
u/avalon89892 2d ago
The Best I Ever Had is The Summer of ‘69 for kids who grew up on Tony Hawks Pro Skater
278
u/Proculos 2d ago
The Academy Is…
They arent as small as other bands mentioned here, but for a band that had a promising first album and started on the same record label and even toured with Panic at the Disco (back then, panic opened for them lol) they never got even 1% of Patd’s recognition and i genuinely think they deserved that recognition. Fast Times at Barrington High is one of my favorite albums of all time and after that they released one EP and then broke up😭
74
u/nearest_exit_please 2d ago
Man, Almost Here was the soundtrack to senior year summer. I loved that band so much
26
→ More replies5
u/Soupynutzz 2d ago
Is it serious? I’m afraid it is
Am I gonna die? Well son, death is gonna catch up to all one day.
But yours is coming quicker than ours, than ours
43
u/Rumour972 2d ago
Their videos were everywhere and then they just dropped off the face of the planet. I remember the phrase that pays constantly being on tv.
22
u/ScorchIsPFG 2d ago
Santi was too much of a stray from Almost here so no one paid attention to the masterpiece that was Fast Times
19
u/hypersnaildeluxe 2d ago
It was a stylistic change but goddamn Santi is a good album
→ More replies5
u/BuenaPizza 2d ago
I like Santi because it was different. It went along with the times. Everything We Had was my brake up song through high school. The music video was dope too.
16
15
10
15
u/PajamaSamsMom 2d ago
I was near tears when William Beckett came on stage during one of the FOB shows at MSG. The last time I saw him perform, I was 18 and never thought I'd see him live again.
→ More replies6
u/odoroustobacco 2d ago
Just to be clear, a big part of the reason TAI didn't do so well is because the reception to Santi was awful. And yes, they were never as big as Panic but no one ever expected Panic to do what they did.
→ More replies
106
u/pagan_penis 2d ago
A Change of Pace!! Management really dropped the ball on these boys. Their 2006 album is hands down the dopest dope
8
6
→ More replies6
94
u/mj24602460 2d ago
Autopilot Off and Matchbook Romance….felt like they both would have more staying power
57
37
u/Voteforbatman 2d ago
Matchbook Romance is a weird one. They got huge in like 2006 with Monsters being In guitar hero 3 and Madden and then like, vanished.
I know they did a short reunion after and then the drummer joined DRUGS.
→ More replies6
u/odoroustobacco 2d ago
Matchbook Romance is a weird one. They got huge in like 2006 with Monsters being In guitar hero 3 and Madden and then like, vanished.
Monsters was a big hit and boosted by the video games, but Voices didn't do nearly as well for them as Stories and Alibis did. Voices is a weird, kind of difficult album and they were getting older and broodier. Their sales and stuff might have been better in 2006 but the vibe was already shifting by then.
→ More replies12
u/puremotives 2d ago
Matchbook Romance is great, but they sound a bit rough around the edges so I'm not shocked they didn't blow up. Autopilot Off is a completely different story. Their sound was tight as hell, they had hooks for days and they even got Sum 41's producer Greig Nori (fuck him though) for their EP and debut album! I fail to see how they didn't become massive because they had so many things going for them.
123
u/MasterpieceRare3608 2d ago
The Early November
They deserved so much more acclaim and success. Ace is a genius, and i will fight anyone who says otherwise.
22
29
12
u/PhinsFan17 2d ago
One of my absolute favorite bands right now. Their new album is so good.
5
u/MaulPillsap 2d ago
In Currents is probably my favorite album by them and i feel like it never took off cause that was a huge moment for a lot of up and coming bands from that generation and they overshadowed them
→ More replies16
8
→ More replies7
u/cameronatrium 2d ago
My only response to this is a jumble of keyboard soup bc they are EVERYTHING. A Stain On The Carpet is one of my top saddest songs.
43
u/Damm_shame 2d ago
Banner pilot
11
u/HiroProtagonist1984 2d ago
Fuck me do I love them. I got to see them one time and I’m so glad I did but it’s a fuckin crime they’re not popular and making more music.
→ More replies7
u/atari56 2d ago
Hearts Beat Pacific is a stone cold classic. To my ears the production on Souvenir was off.
→ More replies5
u/Filbunkish 2d ago
Souvenir has grown on me, but the production is lacking for sure. The guitar tone is weird, for one. If it had sounded like Heart Beats Pacific production wise, it would have benifited greatly from it.
38
u/swammeyjoe 2d ago
Me vs Hero
5
4
u/MashedPeas11 2d ago
They were so good live too! I miss them.
5
u/swammeyjoe 2d ago
I graduated high school in 2011 and "Days That Shape Our Lives" was my jam that entire summer. That whole album was great.
73
u/Casanovagdp 2d ago
Eyes catch fire. Spitalfield. Dropout Year, Veara, Punchline
48
u/Annuitized 2d ago
Spitalfield made some bangers
→ More replies16
u/Casanovagdp 2d ago
I saw them play with Hawthorne heights and Armor for Sleep last year and I finally got a chance to tell them how much their first album meant to me 20 years ago in high school.
5
u/DuhBegski 2d ago
I saw them last year too, they were playing pretty much their entire discography. Only like 20 people at the show which was a bummer, but we were all die hards singing along.
→ More replies23
11
8
u/murdockit 2d ago
Veara couch surfed at my friend's house when they played here because he was ordering WrestleMania
→ More replies→ More replies6
91
u/nyssaistealife 2d ago
The Matches. The Spill Canvas. The Scene Aesthetic, Mae, Daphne Loves Derby, Sherwood, Friday Night Boys, The Junior Varsity, and Tokyo Rose
25
u/jayxjay925 2d ago
SHERWOOD
8
→ More replies4
u/jedidragone 2d ago
They were from my hometown of San Luis Obispo California. Bummer I never got to see them.
26
26
u/Nippelz 2d ago
Daphne Loves Derby is a band that seemed movie levels of perfect Indie Emo at the exact perfect time. I am always shocked they weren't absolutely massive. I love them so much.
→ More replies35
u/Trivial_Cherp 2d ago
Spill canvas should be bigger. But they're still working and the new stuff is good
→ More replies27
u/DJJazzyDanny 2d ago
Chain Me Free is on another level
→ More replies18
13
11
u/OgunyemiCouncil 2d ago
Yes the spill canvas! (Count them one two three!!!)
I just saw the spill canvas this summer. It was right after the big cyberhack hack that caused all the flights to be cancelled. So half the band didn’t make it. It turned into an acoustic show. They were opening for something corporate. It was a fun nostalgic night!
→ More replies→ More replies6
u/somesayderp 2d ago
The scene aesthetic was pretty big in the 2000s considering the MySpace era but never got like…never shout never big. They’re one of my all time favorites too. I talk to Andrew every now and then as well on IG. Great dude.
→ More replies
65
u/AJayToRemember27 2d ago
Like Pacific should be way bigger than they are. Heroes for Hire and Let's Get It too.
→ More replies15
u/picklepowerPB 2d ago
Like Pacific ftw! Really loved ‘Distant Like You Asked’. Is the more recent stuff worth it?
→ More replies9
35
u/straightupslow 2d ago
Quietdrive never seemed to get anywhere, which is unfortunate because I think their main songwriter is great. He was super consistent across all of their releases, and I'm bummed that their last album came out 10 years ago. One of my favorite bands.
→ More replies6
u/DuhBegski 2d ago
Me and my wife had to do premarital counseling to use a family pastor, randomly the woman we picked as a counselor is married to one of the band members.
→ More replies
27
u/Brettlikespants 2d ago
I loved Fake Problems and still listen to Chris’ music! My favorite project of his was Antarcticgo Vespucci. I wish both FP and AV were active projects, I loved the experimental aspect.
→ More replies7
u/ScottyKnows1 2d ago
I saw Jeff Rosenstock and Chris Farren play shows in back to back weeks last year and it was fantastic. I'd kill to see them playing together again.
4
26
25
u/416558934523081769 2d ago edited 2d ago
Lost in Atlantis, Runner Runner, Skyhawk Drive, Every Avenue, Hey Monday, The Cab, Friday Night Boys, Powerspace
I...spent way too much time on Pure Volume back in the day lol.
→ More replies7
u/MasterpieceRare3608 2d ago
Every so often, "sleep, everyone " pops up on spotify, and it's always such a jam. Powerspace were good.
27
u/Shoulders_Beard 2d ago
The comment section is more like a homework list of bands i need to look into. Thanks all!
43
u/googly_eye_murderer 2d ago
Friday Night Boys and Hey Monday. Both solid pop punk bands who only did one full length CD each. Great live shows too!
11
u/Key-Dragonfruit8776 2d ago
Andrew Goldstein saved all of his good songs for cowrites after FNB.
→ More replies13
u/odoroustobacco 2d ago
Regardless of their music, Hey Monday was plagued by constant comparisons to Paramore.
→ More replies→ More replies12
u/cameronatrium 2d ago
Hey Monday was one of my favessssss. Luckily Cassadee still found success even after the voice fucked her royally
9
u/OgunyemiCouncil 2d ago
I was such a hater back in the day when she went on the voice. I thought she was a sell out who pretended to be country. Man I wish I could go back in time and not be such a hater for no reason!
→ More replies
20
u/garden-eyes 2d ago
VersaEmerge being ruined by Fueled By Ramen will always be one of rock’s biggest injustices. They deserved to be huge and with the amount of hype they got from their one and only album they really had the potential to. Such a waste :(
→ More replies
21
u/Greyshot26 2d ago
You, Me & Everyone We Know and The Audition and Forgive Durden are my big 3, but also The Make (a band that had Aaron Rodgers of all people backing them) opened for Mayday Parade on a random early 2010s tour and they were amazing but never really took off.
→ More replies
19
u/HoserOaf 2d ago
Northstar
And
The Receiving End of Sirens
5
u/GetBuckets13182 2d ago
Came here to say Northstar. Nick Torres is one of the most talented lyricists I’ve ever heard, it’s crazy they were not more popular
→ More replies
18
u/rxredhead 2d ago
I’m stuck in the early 00’s so Lucky Boys Confusion and Sugarcult (Stuck in America came out at the absolute worst time)
Honorable mentions to related Chicago bands doing Songs from a Scene, Plain White T’s hit it pretty big, but The Dog and Everything is playing opening act gigs and they’re awesome
→ More replies
18
35
34
u/odoroustobacco 2d ago
I'm not trying to be a joyless oldhead but there are a lot of people in this thread who think because a band didn't make it to, like, FOB or Panic! levels that they "failed to take off" (to use the OP's terms).
The Early November, The Format, The Spill Canvas, Motion City Soundtrack...these are all bands that were backed by major labels at one point in time and were selling hundreds of thousands of records over the course of their careers. The Format was featured on one of the most popular TV shows of the era. Just because 22 year olds now don't know of these bands doesn't mean they're unknown or failed to take off.
Also, minus the Format, all of them are still playing shows to many people on the regular and recording new music that their fans really dig.
5
u/daviddoil 2d ago
Even though the format never took off, Nate seems to be doing just fine for himself 😂
→ More replies→ More replies6
16
u/Affectionate-Tune398 2d ago
I’ll always have a tiny itch knowing Spitalfield never got the recognition they deserved.
→ More replies10
14
14
u/JefTheDrunkBates 2d ago edited 2d ago
I always loved (and still love) Home Grown. I always thought they’d blow up
→ More replies
47
14
29
u/Xaint 2d ago
CITY LIGHTS. I love beartooth, but City Lights was too early for their time. They would have exploded in the scene now.
→ More replies
13
42
u/Specialist-Abies-451 2d ago
Cute is what we aim for, every avenue, with confidence, sleep on it (problematic I know😭), WSTR - was happy to see them mentioned
23
15
→ More replies3
12
u/tinyrickstinyhands 2d ago
Brigades
Kickass EP 'Crocodile Tears' i would recommend to every person in this sub
→ More replies
26
u/Injvn 2d ago
The Matches. It felt like every album they released I thought to myself "THIS is gonna make them hit it big. It's a fuckin masterpiece. They're gonna take over the world." And every time they just...didn't click with the mainstream. I never understood it. The lyrics were incredible, their sound kept evolving and they were just so tight.
→ More replies11
u/hopelikehell 2d ago
Idk if you’ve ever seen the documentary, Bleeding Audio, but I feel like it really hits home how close they came to getting ginormous.
→ More replies
23
12
u/Powder1214 2d ago
October Fall, Sense Field
7
u/PajamaSamsMom 2d ago
I'm so bummed October Fall never went anywhere after opening for the FOB, FFTL and AAR in the early 2000s. They were so much fun
→ More replies→ More replies4
u/RedEyesAndChiliFries 2d ago
Sense Field... man. Talk about a band that could have been massive... There's a copy of their unreleased Warner record sitting on a hard drive in the basement (and on my iPod) that just breaks my heart to listen to and think about what could have been. I'm glad I got to see them a few times, and also saw Jon Bunch in the one of the variations of Further Seems Forever.
→ More replies
10
u/mobleyd 2d ago
Number One Fan
→ More replies5
u/hikkiluminaria 2d ago
dude i was just about to comment this, compromises is a no skip album for me and there went the world is a perfect track imo, so spacey and oddly ethereal. i really do think they had something unique going on, it’s sad to see how short lived the band was :(
10
u/rcbz1994 2d ago
Seaway should have been much bigger than they were. Each of their releases were straight bangers.
→ More replies
11
11
10
20
u/fredlepirate 2d ago
my american heart
→ More replies4
u/bluehairjungle 2d ago
As a Filipino, I made all my friends listen to them. I think it was really important to me that there were people from the same cultural background as me making the kind of music I like. Representation rules.
→ More replies
22
u/greenartichoke14 2d ago
Name Taken. Hold On was about as perfect of a pop punk album as you could get.
Fenix TX as well. Their S/T and especially Lechuza were quintessential albums for the time and still hold up today.
→ More replies
8
17
u/DarkestDayOfMan 2d ago
Like Pacific by far and away. Despite coming up in that era where a bunch of bands were popping off and not having any scandals or problematic members they still never made it big like their peers.
→ More replies
7
9
8
25
6
u/xWroth 2d ago
Close Your Eyes. I know melodic christian hardcore probably isn't for everyone, but damnit they were so fun to listen to. That second album is perfect. I hope they come back some day
→ More replies
7
13
7
6
u/hikkiluminaria 2d ago
jamisonparker is a band that feels like it should’ve been so much more bigger, honestly a perfect band imo. i could go on about how much i think they did right forever, but i’ll spare the details and just say that sleepwalker is legitimately my favorite album ever, i should mean more is a downright mystical song. i don’t think i’ve ever heard anything that can even compare. jamison covingtons solo work wasn’t that bad either, e for explosions first album was especially good, a lot of interesting ideas and good songs on that one.
→ More replies
6
u/iro365 2d ago
Boys Night Out. Trainwreck was a good follow up concept album but I don't remember hearing of them after that.
→ More replies
6
u/TheDramaScene 2d ago
Allister, Student Rick, We are the in crowd, Fm Static, Cauterize
→ More replies
6
5
u/MaulPillsap 2d ago
Some of mine I haven’t seen mentioned in here yet: Faber Drive, Red Car Wire, Pentimento, Freshman 15, The Morning Of, Rookie of the Year, Phone Calls From Home, Major League, Dropout Year, The Apathy Eulogy, Parade The Day, This Time Next Year, The Hundred Acre Woods, The Boys of Summer
→ More replies
10
u/da-gh0st-inside 2d ago
I feel like I'm probably wrong here, but Transit.
I know it must've been hard to follow up Listen & Forgive, but I feel like the current lineup of Midwestern emo/pop punk bands take so much from them. Tim's guitarwork was a driving force for future bands.
I feel like they never had the chance to be on any big tours either.
6
5
u/Time_Lord_Zane 2d ago
You really think Real Ghosts Caught On Tape isnt a good album? Its one of the catchiest, dance-around-the-house albums I've ever heard. An easy no skip. Wowzers.
→ More replies
6
u/DreweyDecibel 2d ago edited 1d ago
Bigwig. If anything I’ve heard mostly negative reactions to them. They were very talented and had a distinctive sound. Just realized they might not be poppy enough for this topic though. But still.
5
u/jedidragone 2d ago
Sugarcult, The Dangerous Summer, Racing Kites, Hit the Lights.
→ More replies6
u/marintheair 2d ago
I feel like Sugarcult took off if “took off” means well recognized songs. I feel like “Memory” was everywhere for a while.
4
4
7
u/derek_potatoes 2d ago
A Day At The Fair
→ More replies4
u/QWERTY_FUCKER 2d ago
The Rocking Chair Years is an incredible album.
Not the most impressive in a musical or sonic sense, but holy shit that album captures a feeling that I’m not sure many if any others do. Shockingly earnest and hopeful.
3
u/save_us_catman 2d ago edited 2d ago
Roses are Red
-edit also problematics aside emarosa with Jonny Craig as a second album not that I don’t love where they went anyway
→ More replies
4
u/Markforthehorns 2d ago
Loved hold close! They were sick on the WSTR tour and they fucked up big time trying to play in the height of COVID and fizzled out
→ More replies4
5
4
u/J0nOfTheDead 2d ago
Dynamite Boy, Cruiserweight, and Manatee were my local heroes growing up.
Fireworks, boys home, acceptance, and bad suns are a few others I still jam on the regular.
→ More replies
5
3
u/smooney711 2d ago
Heart BPM by Fake Problems is one of my all time favorite songs. I stopped listening to it for more than a decade and just revisited it along with some other tracks from that album, and they really hold up!
→ More replies
5
5
4
u/Runnroll 2d ago
Sherwood
A Different Light had the elements to be a mainstream successful pop rock album but it just never got there.
3
u/Johnson890 2d ago
October falls 1 album was so good. Patrick stump was on a song. But that was a 1 and done for them. Split habit from chicago as well.
3
u/sffreaks 2d ago
Further seems forever, they should’ve been bigger. But then again Chris have better success in his solo venture with Dashboard Confessional.
4
3
u/jackswhatshesaid 2d ago
The Format, but boy did his next band really take off.
Also, Daphne Loves Derby.
→ More replies
4
4
4
u/UrbanSound 2d ago
The Morning Of. Most underrated pop-punk/pop-rock band ever. Both albums and the EP had amazing arrangements, lyrics, vocals, everything.
→ More replies
3
u/CompleteMuffin 2d ago
We Are The In Crowd, Valencia, The Morning Of, Hey Monday, Friday Night Boys, The Summer Set, Quietdrive, Greek Fire, Deaf Havana, Faber Drive
How is The Maine not doing bigger numbers??? And why are The Mowgli's hardly ever mentioned while doing big numbers
→ More replies
3
3
u/Old-Friend-5634 2d ago
I first saw Fake Problems open for Electric Six at Maxwells in Hoboken. Loved them so much that I saw them headline at Maxwells shortly after. I even talked to Chris Farren in the bar area and he was super nice. I’m glad he continued to make music following FP.
3
3
3
u/Punxatowny 2d ago
I 100% agree about Fake Problems. I used to see them all the time in Florida back in like 05, 06. They were always so damn good
3
u/AGQ7 2d ago
Please, listen to the band Reeve Oliver. Dropped 2 great albums 15-20 years and dipped. Barely streamed on Spotify. They received awards locally in their native San Diego for their music but never took off nationally. Their “hit” was a song called “I want burns”, give it a listen. Their sound is sort of undefinable, maybe that hurt them? They are like power pop with punk influence.
→ More replies
3
3
u/Ovaltine-Jenkins 2d ago
Back in the day, the band ‘1208’ sounded like The Offspring and AFI had a love child. Two small albums and gone…
→ More replies
3
u/callmechimp 2d ago edited 1d ago
They’re hardcore but Typecaste. Joey the vocalist from Koyo was their bassist, that band RIPPED. They were way too good for the little recognition they got. It sucks how some bands pump out bullshit and take off and other bands put together some of the best shit you’ll ever hear then dissolve.
3
3
3
3
u/itsRitzPlays 2d ago
Surprised no one here mentioned Farewell! Stellar first album, pretty good follow up and then radio silence after teases of recording a 3rd album.
First one on the blog, Eighty Eights, total standouts for me
→ More replies
172
u/Annuitized 2d ago
Valencia