Chicago’s own KNUCKLE PUCK — vocalist Joe Taylor, guitarist/vocalist Nick Casasanto, guitarist Kevin Maida, drummer John Siorek, and bassist Ryan Rumchak — will release their third full-length album “20/20” via Rise Records later this year. The record was produced by Seth Henderson (State Champs, Real Friends) and mixed by Vince Ratti (The Wonder Years, Title Fight, The Menzingers). “20/20” is launching with a limited edition, 300-piece vinyl pre-order that includes a free zine featuring the band’s personal photography.
However, to herald the album announcement, Knuckle Puck, who have been described as “one of the most talented bands to come out of the modern pop punk scene in a while” (Exclaim!) and as “poignant pop punk” (Paste), have shared the intensely personal new single “RSVP”.
“This is one of the first songs I wrote in my apartment after moving to L.A.” says Casasanto. “So much had happened in my personal life after the release of [2017’s] ‘Shapeshifter’ that I felt like life was moving and changing faster than I could cope”.
Casasanto further explains:
“I felt separated from everything and everyone living on the other side of the country, but it was strangely refreshing. In a way, it felt like I had escaped a lot of my problems. So when people would ask, ‘When are you coming back to Chicago?,’ it was difficult to give them an honest answer”.
“RSVP” follows the first single “Tune You Out” a cathartic yet upbeat track about giving yourself and others the appropriate time and space to grow.
“20/20” is in many ways a companion piece to Knuckle Puck’s 2015 debut “Copacetic” — filtering the same youthful, wide-eyed approach of their early material through the sonic evolutions they’ve explored since. All at once, “20/20” is both a look back and a step forward — and most importantly, it’s an album that, at its core, urges listeners to live in the here and now.
“Not every song has to be an existential journey” Casasanto says. “We went into this album wanting to make people feel good about who they are and not upset about who they aren’t. There’s so much to be angry about right now, and rather than contribute to it, we wanted to give people a reason to feel good. I want people to want to listen to this record”.
