CD Release: August 13, 2011.
LP Release: TBA
Cover art by Aldo Giorgini.
First press: TBA.

1. Who Let the Dogs Out?
2. A Song In Which I Convince Myself to Stop Being Such a Fucking Idiot
3. Quivering
4. Throwing In Those Weird Chords Did Wonders For The Copyrights and Dopamines (Theme From House Boat)
5. ...And On and On
6. Now We Are 31
7. Pityscapes
8. Anticipation Preservation
9. I Live Directly Across the Street From the Outback Steakhouse
10. Terminally Unique
11. I'd Be Better Off On
12. Real Life as a Metaphor For Real Life
13. Barkmarket Fuckacy
14. Bug Out

It's the sophomore full-length from House Boat. It's the best album of 2011. What the fuck is your problem?

Released: March 29, 2011.
Cover art by Corey Ayd.
First press: 310 black, 146 flour, 54 oatmeal cookie.

1. (The Weight of the World is) Shitting On My Shoulders
2. Blackout Magic
3. Idling
4. Customer Complaints

Rational Anthem were, by all rights, the first Traffic Street band. I've come a long way since I started out and I'm proud to say that so have they. With their new EP, Rational Anthem have turned in a record that's more than just four songs recorded at the same time. Bread Line perfectly captures the spirit and feeling of what it's like to be young, broke, and overworked in 2011 America. While not one of these four songs sounds like any of the others, the band's energy and the overarching theme of economic hardship connect them all to create a perfect cohesive EP that's as strong as anything else that I've been lucky enough to release. It took three years and three split 7-inches for Rational Anthem to record a follow-up EP to their s/t demo, but it was absolutely worth the wait. The band's figured out who they are, how they write, and what they do best -and on Bread Line, they do it four times over. If you're through with college, have given up on the job market, and have sadly come to the realization that you'll never have it as good as your parents, Bread Line is the record for you. Buy it now and start getting excited for their upcoming full-length.

CD release: February 22, 2011.
LP released by Toxic Pop: February 27, 2011
Cover art by Max Weinstein-Bacal.

1. Either Way
2. Never Settle
3. Good Words
4. 47 Million
5. The Green Light
6. Carver Blues
7. San Francisco Court House Steps
8. Take You In My Coffee
9. Probably Not
10. In the Dark
11. Crosby Sux
12. Blame

Early in 2010, a new band from Richmond recorded a six song EP that took me completely by surprise. That band was Sundials and their virtually flawless debut was a prime example of how to play confident and catchy '90s influenced indie/punk with charm and attitude. Each song was distinct, memorable, and exciting, and within a day I must have listened to it fifty times over. When I heard just a few months later that the band had already written an entire full-length's worth of material to follow up that first EP, I got on board to release it without a moment of hesitation. If you love Kudrow, Cheap Girls, or any of the other upstarts taking cues from bands like Archers of Loaf and Superchunk, this is your album for 2011.

Released: November 18, 2010.
Cover art by Charles Vorkhas.

1. Fuck You, Ms. ********
2. Grace/Period
3. Oh My God, You Guys, My Job Is So Annoying and My Life Is Seriously So Hard (You Guys)

Since he writes more songs than his band can record, House Boat's Grath Madden (also formerly of The Steinways) started another project called Barrakuda McMurder. The band doesn't have a fixed line-up; it's pretty much just whoever's around when it comes time to hit the studio. The second EP from the "band," More Songs About Girlfriends and Volcanoes was released via a Mediafire link posted on a message board in 2009. One year later, I'm still listening to these songs that had pretty much slipped by the rest of the world's radar. Admittedly, one of the songs was an awful joke that didn't ever really need to be heard again, and though the remaining three were excellent, they clocked in at a total of just four minutes -not much fodder for a 7-inch. If we were going to release it, we knew it'd have to be done a little differently. I pitched the idea to Grath to press it as a three-inch mini-disc packaged in a tiny little gluepocket. (For those unfamiliar, mini-discs won't even operate in some CD players -and sometimes they'll even jam up the disc drive and break your stereo). "What a terrible idea," he responded. "I'm totally into it."

So here it is: More Songs About Girlfriends and Volcanoes, finally available in physical form. The art is yet another Mutant Pop parody, right down to the overenthusiastic essay on the back cover, which just so happens to be the funniest thing you'll read all year. Priced at just $1.25/minute, how can you resist?

Released: October 16, 2010.
Cover art by Tom Donington.
First press: 296 black currant, 116 boysenberry, 55 loganberry, 18 blueberry, 15 raspberry, 12 blue raspberry.

The Transgressions
1. Baby, I Love You (But I Need Someone to Talk to About The Ramones)
2. Sleazeball
3. I Don't Even Care Anymore

The Credentials
4. Mark Reznik Takes 30 Guys to Beat Contra
5. Nametags & Hairnets

The Transgressions play sludgy grimy pop punk about being a fuck-up. People say they sound like Off With Their Heads but that's 'cause people are lazy and dumb. It's more like The Ramones on depressants if Joey sucked on an exhaust pipe for 30 minutes before laying down his vocal tracks -but with better guitar tones. They released what was probably the best EP of 2009 and if you don't have it yet, it's because you're old and out of touch. The Credentials are -basically -the punkest god damn band on the planet. Their songs are dirty, frantic, and hard to find on iTunes. They write about things in a way that makes me think that maybe it's still worth giving a shit (even though it so obviously isn't). Their detractors call them "Witches With Dicks Junior." I can live with that.

Released: October 5, 2010.
Cover art by Jason Lubrano.
First press: 335 black, 155 apricot, 60 exhaust.

Billy Raygun
2. Flashlight

Vacation
3. Heterosexual Lion

New Creases
4. No Spark

One brand new song from each band! This is the seventh installment in the series, but the first to feature four bands, all of which had yet to release anything when Traffic Street hit the ground running with its first release at the start of 2009. I defy anyone to come up with a better group of young bands on the rise, each with their own fresh, exciting spin on pop punk. The Transgressions open the record ripping fast with their doped-up, chaotic take on Ramones/Weaselcore with a song about growing up without ambition. Billy Raygun slow things down just a scratch with another Bent-spirited rager with the kind of energy that can only come out teenagers. On side two, Vacation bring the hooks and the weirdness, demonstrating why they're quickly becoming one of the most hyped and loved bands in our scene. And closing things out, New Creases belt and noodle their way through one of their best songs yet, in their unmistakably distinct style that's already spawned a handful of imitators across the country. A lot of people have told me that this is the best Dangerous Intersections 7" to date -and a lot of people just might be right.

Released: September 7, 2010.
Cover art by Jason Lubrano.
First press: 108 aquamarine, 104 blueberry swirl, 103 bone, 102 red, 95 strawberry yogurt, 7 purple cow, 2 ultraviolet, 1 black with green splatter.
A split release w/ Dirt Cult, Muy Autentico, and No Breaks.

1. 'Lone
2. Nothing At All
3. Just So You Know
4. (Take Me to the) Antique Roadshow

As Jonesin' began working on their debut EP late last year, something happened that made their label lose interest: they announced that their show at The Fest in Gainesville would be their last. They were calling it quits. Luckily, Chris (Dirt Cult), Kyle (Muy Autentico), Stewart (No Breaks), and I all have the kind of terrific business sense that would compel a person to plead with a defunct non-touring band to get to put out their record. Rather than choose one of us - well - connect the dots, Einstein. It's a four-way split release!

So here it is - the swan song EP from Long Island's best East Bay-spirited band. Four songs of gravelly Green Day and Crimpshrine influenced pop punk -aptly titled The Dream is Dead.

Except for one thing: they reconsidered and decided not to break up after all!

CD released: June 5, 2010.
LP released by Toxic Pop: August 5, 2010
Cover art by Nolen Strals.

1. Addict Rhythm
2. Sidewalks
3. Baltimore Calling
4. Feathered Creatures
5. Film at Forever
6. Watchpost
7. Last Show
8. A World of Mistakes
9. All These Weathermen
10. Binghamton Calling
11. Pictures in the Hall
12. Under the Leaves

One of the best things about living in the miserable hole that is Washington, DC is that -if nothing else -it's not far from Baltimore. And one of the best things about Baltimore is definitely Dead Mechanical. The band have been around for a few years now, but don't get out on the road too often which has resulted in a kind of "best kept secret" status. They're a tough band to describe, but let's just say that if you're a fan of the kind of gritty pop punk Traffic Street seems to specialize in (or at least focus on) you're going to be into this record in a big way. Drawing influence from bands like Jawbreaker, The Wipers, and Husker Du, and with two lead vocalists (both totally distinct and providing an awesome contrast to one another) Dead Mechanical are playing around in a well-worn genre without sounding at all worn themselves.

As Todd Taylor over at Razorcake said in his review of their previous full-length (Medium Noise), "They're aware of Dillinger Four, Jawbreaker, and Toys That Kill, but don't want to sound anything like them. They want to sound like who shows up in the mirror in the morning ... Mid-paced, melodic, and melancholic while giving the overall feeling of Baltimore in the winter: the rust, the caked-on ice, white puffs of breath, of a town living in the shadow of much larger cities and deciding to stay and celebrate what it has to offer ... A spot-on album. Highly recommended."

If we were more organized, we'd already have glowing reviews of Addict Rhythms to show you -but don't worry, they're coming.

LP self-released by The Credentials: March 16, 2010.
CD released: June 2, 2010.
Cover art by Tom Donington.

1. Nice Girl / Coffee Shop
2. Up in the Attic
3. Detroit Rats
4. I Don't Want to Think About That Girl
5. Slowly Going the Way of the Juggalo
6. Night Sweats
7. Routines
8. Korean Porn Dumpster
9. Repeat Offender
10. Hating Your Guts
11. Mike-Graffito Tagged Somerville
12. Sucking Dust

Earlier this year, the Credentials self-released their debut LP. I had liked their 7-inch, but this full-length seriously knocked me on my ass. Twelve songs recorded live that transition seamlessly all the way through to the end of the record. This is ripping-fast, scrappy as hell, but still completely bold. When I say that this record is "punk as fuck," that's not tongue-in-cheek. It has an energy that I couldn't even begin to describe and -on top of all of that -these guys are writing some of the best lyrics out there at the moment. Not only can they perfectly articulate the frustrations of daily life in the most poetic way possible, but they can actually write "issue songs" that don't make me roll my eyes. And for someone as jaded and apathetic as I've come to be, that's quite the fucking achievement. If you're a fan of Crimpshrine, Insomniac-era Green Day, and Witches With Dicks, get ready for your favorite record of 2010.

Released: May 28, 2010.
Cover art by Corey Ayd.
First press: 303 black, 206 tangerine.
A split release w/ John Wilkes Booth Records.

Rational Anthem
1. Same Shirt, Different Day
2. Just Shrug

Billy Raygun
3. Killjoy
4. The Worst Day of My Life

After a year that had as many releases as it did line-up changes, Rational Anthem have reunited with their original (and incredible) drummer, hit a proper studio for the first time, and written what everyone that's heard them thus far are calling their two best songs to date. Old and new fans alike, prepare to be impressed by some anthemic, biting pop punk.

On Side B, Billy Raygun shred their instruments like The Ergs!, with the spirit of a band like Bent Outta Shape, without sounding much like either of them. If I had to describe it, I'd call it charmingly-warbly indie/punk rock. With an average age of just 18, you can't help but wonder how these kids got this awesome this fast.

Released: May 29, 2010.
Cover art by Manny Mares and Kim G.
First press: 444 black, 113 diet sierra mist.

1. With a Hint of Lyme
2. Future Train
3. The "May I Help You" Riff
4. Post-Midnight
5. It's Literally Tearing Me Apart
6. Back on Hess and 4th Again
7. Online Pokerface
8. Seems Like a Flusher
9. Parastolic Reaction
10. The Same Wavelength
11. Sometimes Dead is Better

With Empty Towers, Rumspringer prove that they not only have what it takes to write more than an EP's worth of great songs, but that they're a band that's only getting better with time. There's something casual and laid-back but still captivating about their brand of pop punk. On repeated listens, faster bands can get grating; slower bands get boring. There's a quality to this band though that compels you to listen to their songs over and over again. There may not be much you can do with punk at this point to keep it sounding fresh, but a select few bands always seem to manage. Jawbreaker did it, Latterman did it, and now Rumspringer are doing it. There's no roadmap or formula here -I don't even want to draw any cheap comparisons for a recommendation. Check it out if you're interested in hearing a young band that wrote an album that's thoroughly their own.

Download released: April 3, 2010.
7" released: May 27, 2010.
CDEP released by Moonquake: September 21, 2010.
First press: 486 black, 254 red, 160 salvia.

1. DC Showcase Presents: Inferiority Complex, Volume 420
2. Payment Plan
3. Kids of the Black Hole Sun
4. The Self-Aware Octopus
5. Tired Pleas

After releasing one of 2009's best full-lengths, the band featuring Grath and Ace of The Steinways, Mikey Erg, and Zack Off-With-Their-Dear Landlord's-Rivetheads is back! On their new EP, House Boat do what they do best five times over. You want novelty? Innovation? Vicissitude?!? You're outta luck. Processing Complaints is smart-alecky, self-deprecating pop punk in five quick bursts. Catchy and to the point.

Released: April 19, 2010.
Cover art by Charlie Chicken.
First press: 550 black.

The Side Project
4. 20/200
5. Gotta Kill It
6. Giving Up on Love

SIx glorious tracks of snotty midwestern pop punk about being a drunk and/or drug-addled fuck up with nothing to live for. Sink in it!

Released: April 8, 2010
Soviettes afterparty edition: 54 black.
First press: 301 black, 115 spearmint.

Vacation Bible School
1. The Swarming
3. You'll Always Be My Girl

The God Damn Doo Wop Band
2. Menage a Prom
4. Leaving Town

Blistering punk rock from Chicago's vastly underrated Vacation Bible School, bittersweet doo wop gems from Minneapolis' The God Damn Doo Wop Band. Both bands contribute one Vacation Bible School song and one God Damn Doo Wop Band song, so you get one original and one cover from each. If you don't get what I'm saying, pull out your scrap paper and see if you can't work it out for yourself.

Released: March 4, 2010.
Cover art by Ryan Agate.
First press: 333 black, 180 barbicide, 60 UK yellow, 5 smokestain.

The Manix
2. Red Truck

The Humanoids
3. Pride by the Barrel

The Taxpayers
4. The Lights

The sixth installment in the series! From Colorado comes No High Fives to Bullshit with some of the sludgiest, heaviest, most fucked up pop punk ever. The Manix play catchy, fast-as-hell punk rock from MPLS in the spirit of Rivethead. Outta St. Louis, The Humanoids write smart, slick pop punk that'll appeal equally to fans in the Ramonescore, East Bay, and Gainesville camps. Last, Portland, Oregon's The Taxpayers offer up a 4-minute  epic motherfucker of a song that should sit pretty well with fans of The Sidekicks and anybody that thought "The Disco Before The Breakdown" was a step forward, rather than the beginning of the end.

"UK yellow" colored vinyl available exclusively from Different Kitchen.

7" Released: February 22, 2010.
CDEP Released: June 22, 2010
Cover art by Troy Allen.
First press: 338 black, 162 white, 90 clear.
Second press: 340 dirty blonde, 230 clear green. (9/30/10)
A split release w/ No Breaks Records.

About Last Night... is New Creases' first new material since their s/t CDEP last year. Four new anthems about being stuck in cities and patterns, for better or worse, and just trying to figure out which one of those applies on a given day. If you're a fan of The Measure (SA), Rumspringer, or Through Being Cool-era Saves the Day, do yourself a favor and pick up this record. (And don't forget to hit the distro for a copy of their split 7" with It Good)!

Released: January 11, 2010
Cover art by Joey Seger.
Winter tour edition: 60 black.
First press: 379 black, 110 white. Second press: 560 clear purple. (10/15/10)

One of the best young bands in the midwest follow up their debut EP with four brand new songs of intense, energetic pop punk loaded with grit and spite. Highly recommended for fans of early Alkaline Trio, The Lawrence Arms, or Dear Landlord.

Released: March 1, 2010.
Cover art by Matt Semke.
First press: 450 black, 123 red pill.
A split release w/ Cassette Deck Media Conglomerate.

Like Bats - s/t CDEP

Released: October 5, 2009.
Cover art by Frank Ruich.

1. Lousy
2. Fall Leaves
3. Hellbound
4. Double or Nothing

This is a reissue of Like Bats' debut EP, originally self-released by the band.

OUT OF PRINT.

Released: April 14, 2009.
First press: 100 tapes.

V/A - Dangerous Intersections V 7"

Troublemake
1. Use Six or Seven Times and Destroy

The Legendary San Diego Chargers
2. Fred and the Kids Are Dead

Shang-A-Lang
3. Don't Bring Him Around

Andrew Jackson Jihad
4. You May Be Right

Rational Anthem / The Strait A's - Use Your Delusion I 7"

Released: May 14, 2009.
Cover art by Nate Gangelhoff.
Windy City / Tour Edition: 30 black.
First press: 323 black, 154 unmarbled red, 56 white.

Rational Anthem
1. You Tell Me
2. Call the Weather

The Strait A's
3. Pet Project
4. Pop Punk Boys Are Girls
5. Gotta Make the First Move

Apocalypse Meow / Rational Anthem - Split 7"

Released: May 14, 2009.
Cover art by Bill Pinkel.
First press: 302 black, 148 blue raspberry, 52 clear blue.

Apocalypse Meow
1. DIY Pharmacy
2. Spliff Burton vs. Tom Brewnansky
3. Same Sad Song

Rational Anthem
4. What Am I Doing Here?
5. 717 Orange

REVIEWS
"By far the best APOCALYPSE MEOW shit so far. Stand-out of the three is 'Same Sad Song', which addresses that depressed, boring friend who won't shut up about the girl who broke their heart. It's spot-on and I can't get over how simply written yet devastatingly effective these songs are. It's like the three chords everyone starts off with, but with none of the over-written fiddles that can ruin a good song. RATIONAL ANTHEM remind me of COWBOY DYNAMITE and RUMSPRINGER a bit, melodic energetic songs with loads going on, dual vocals and awesome songwriting. I just can't get enough of bands who play this kind of thing, and RATIONAL ANTHEM do it so well. It's raw and powerful, there's no 'production' making these songs great, it's all natural." - Jerk Store

Strait A's
1. Go Away

Like Bats
2. Sleepwalker

Rumspringer
3. No Lights On

Barrakuda McMurder
4. I Broke Up (With My Girlfriend (So That I Could Write Pop Punk Songs About It))

.

Rational Anthem - s/t CDEP

1. Saddle Up
2. Forecast
3. Summer
4. This Isn't Me
5. Father, You Were Right
6. Never Let Me Down

Rumspringer / Sleep Like a Log - Split 7"

Released: May 13, 2009.
First press: 333 black, 153 black cloud, 57 concrete.

Rumspringer
1. Give Me a Fucking Vowel
2. Normal Again

Sleep Like a Log
3. Broken Scale
4. The Big Monster and Me

V/A - Dangerous Intersections III 7"

Released: May 13, 2009.
Cover art by Gord Lafler.
First press: 301 black, 150 sour grape, 54 crystal scum.

The Closet Fairies
1. SKUMPUNK

Apocalypse Meow
2. Babies Got It Made

The Dopamines
3. My Future's So Bright, I Have to Wear Night Vision Goggles

Todd Congelliere
4. Channel 11

OUT OF PRINT.

Andrew Jackson Jihad / Apocalypse Meow - Pug Life 7"

Andrew Jackson Jihad
1. Island Song
2. Growing Up [Early]

Apocalypse Meow
3. Rehab
4. Where Would Jesus Work?

REVIEWS
"I'll pretty much pick up anything with AJJ on it, but the fact that APOCALYPSE MEOW are the other band makes it an essential purchase. APOCALYPSE MEOW would be awesome in their own right, but I guess what makes them more 'interesting' for people is that Justin from OFF WITH THEIR HEADS has stepped out fro behind the kit to sing and play guitar. His voice is clean and gruff-less, and it sounds kinda like OWTH with the gain turned down. These songs are catchy like you wouldn't believe, with great lyrics and unpolished charm that makes for a LOT of reaching over to the record player. ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD have one new song, and an early version of 'Growing Up'. They're both great tunes but the AM stuff is why you really should buy this." - Jerk Store

The Brokedowns / Turkish Techno - Split 7"

The Brokedowns
1. That's a Bummer, Man
2. Shit Covered in Glitter

Turkish Techno
3. Meth Not Meat
4. Lazy Afternoon

V/A - Dangerous Intersections II 7"

Basement Black
1. Freedom or Beer ... Whatever, Dude

Dead Mechanical
2. Poison Bearer

Pretty Boy Thorson & The Falling Angels
3. Start Me On Interferon

The Measure [SA]
4. How to Thrash a Million

The Side Project - New Brain 7" / CDEP

1. Get a New Brain
2. That's What She Said
3. I Don't Think So
4. Caffeine and Nicotine

REVIEWS
"Four songs that will restore the faith you have in pop punk that may be fading since the loss of so many great bands in the past few years. The Side Project is like your favorite blanket you can curl up with and feel safe in the knowledge that there's simple straight forward pop punk songs still being put out. This record gets six thumbs up as soon as I can find out how that's possible." - Uncle Critic

7-INCH OUT OF PRINT. CDEP STILL AVAILABLE.

Rumspringer - s/t 10" / CDEP

1. Spring Breakdown
2. Encouragement For the Terminal
3. Nothing Left But Stale Beer
4. Bad Dreams
5. Gently With a Chainsaw
6. Postcard Gestures

Turkish Techno / Troublemake - Split 7"

Turkish Techno
1. Now I Gotta Go to Easter...
2. Alphabet Soup

Troublemake
3. Rhetoric of Hope
4. So Far No Good

Unwelcome Guests / Saint Sweetheart - Split 7"

Unwelcome Guests
1. Diddle
2. Waiting

Saint Sweetheart
3. Feeling Nervous
4.Yes

V/A - Dangerous Intersections 7"

Rational Anthem
1. Of Kids Left in Cars With Windows Up

Iron Chic
2. I Never Get Winded

Amen and the Hell Yeahs
3. Brothers and Sisters In Bourbon

Unwelcome Guests
4. Floating Away

OUT OF PRINT.