Following the release of acoustic EP Letters To Our Former Selves – Acoustic late last year, Youth Fountain is excited to be back at it with new single “Peace Offering.”
“This track was written in the perspective of knowing you could never truly love or be loved by anyone before being comfortable with who you are as a person,” shares Tyler Zanon. “No matter what positive aspects can come out of a relationship – if the foundation isn’t there of having that bare minimum of self love, things inevitably tend to tarnish.”
As Youth Fountain prepares to move forward, the future perfectly mirrors the past.
What began as a solo project by guitarist/vocalist Tyler Zanon in 2013 under the name Bedroom Talk eventually blossomed into a full-blown band by 2017, with the Vancouver-based Youth Fountain (then a duo) proudly announcing their presence with the debut single “Grinding Teeth” and a pair of Pure Noise Records releases that expertly toed the line between pop-punk fervor and more reflective emo moments.
Alternative Press hailed the band’s 2019 debut full-length, Letters To Our Former Selves, as one of the year’s very best, dubbing it the “perfect blend of emo-tinged punk to soundtrack reflecting on every single life decision you’ve ever made,” while North American tours with the likes of Free Throw, Can’t Swim, and Chris Farren cemented Youth Fountain’s sweat-soaked sound as something best experienced live – all while dodging a few stray elbows and overzealous crowd-surfers.
Now once again, Zanon finds himself as a solo artist following the departure of co-vocalist Cody Muraro in mid-2020 – but this time, he’s exactly where he wants to be. Youth Fountain’s new release, Letters To Our Former Selves – Acoustic EP, re-introduces Zanon’s project to the world, reimagining fan favorite material from the 2019 LP of the same name. The four-song collection tones down Youth Fountain’s trademark frenetic energy in favor of more subdued, melodic sensibilities, but expertly does so without sacrificing an ounce of the passion that captivated fans in the first place.
If anything, his toxic-tongued lyricism – much of it pointed inward in intense self-reflection – reverberates even louder without a sonic wall shrouding it. Not content to let the more serene setting mellow him out, Zanon pushes his vocals to the limit across the EP, stepping into the spotlight with the confidence and chops to assuage those concerned about the band’s future.
With a new energy and determination empowering Zanon, there’s a lot on the horizon for Youth Fountain. He’s been spending the pandemic hard at work readying the next full-band LP, slated for release in early 2021, and re-centering himself on why he began making music in the first place. In many ways, this musical rebirth is the best thing that could have ever happened for him, a chance for him to fall back in love with his own songwriting ability and bravely dare to continue pushing its limits under no one’s terms but his own.
“It’s so freeing to not have other cooks in the kitchen,” he says. “I have these visions of how I want things to sound, and it’s up to me now to execute on them. This all started as a solo project, so why not keep it going?”
Action/Adventure (A/A) is a pop-punk band hailing from Chicago ready to shatter decades-long stereotypes of the scene. Comprised solely of BIPOC, their mission is to create #PopPunkInColor and ensure pop punk is a genre where everyone is represented on and off stage. Playing collectively together since 2014, the group has gotten attention from alt scene tastemakers like Alt. Press and Kerrang!, garnered nearly 20k monthly listeners on Spotify, over one million plays on TikTok, and even secured a slot at the final Vans Warped Tour in 2018.
The band consists of Adrian Brown (drums), Blake Evaristo (lead vocals), Manny Avila (bass), Oren Trace (guitar), and Brompton Jackson (vocals/guitar). They’ve
released multiple singles along with three EPs, Rumble Pak (2015), Last Minute Stuntman (2016), & Going Heel (2018), and are set to release their fourth EP, Pulling Focus, in April 2021. – (Section for Wikipedia or wherever more detail is wanted)
Typically landing somewhere near melodic hardcore, the dynamic five-piece collectively write music that slides along the vast spectrum of pop punk. Poppy lyrics and melodies bring an air of familiarity that are simultaneously bringing a fresh perspective through a new lens, and gripping riffs and thrashing breakdowns that you can nod your head to, they draw inspirations ranging from Fall Out Boy to Senses Fail and Four Year Strong.
A/A has now successfully planted their flag into the national landscape of the pop-punk scene following the release of their powerful 60-second single, “Barricades,” which details discrimination each band member has faced while gigging at pop-punk shows across the country. On a whim at the suggestion of a friend, guitarist and vocalist Brompton Jackson posted the impactful music video for “Barricades” onto TikTok one afternoon with their hashtag #PopPunkInColor, and uninstalled the app shortly after. By the end of the day, they had over 60k plays. Within three weeks, the guys had over one million plays and an email from their dream label in their inbox.
Now poised to release their first EP as a signed Pure Noise Records act, Pulling Focus, is releasing on April 30, 2021. Now labelmates with the same acts they grew up listening to, (Senses Fail, Four Year Strong, & The Story So Far), the band is set to make even bigger waves in the scene. Come catch the A/A wave.
Songs for underdogs. Rochester, NY.
