An Introduction To Mocklove And Their New EP, ‘It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home’

Sometimes it takes finding out what you’re not to figure out what you are. That seems to be the case for post-hardcore band Mocklove who, with the release of their new EP, It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home, are ready to give the world a proper introduction to the band they want to be.

“It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home is like our, 'Hello, this is Mocklove' sticker,” vocalist Madelyn Munsell explains. “We’re introducing ourselves—in a good way this time.”

Following an indie/alt demo last year, Mocklove realized soon enough that they weren’t going in a sonic direction they wanted to be heading. They were creating music, but they weren't advancing their relationship as a band, creating an image they wanted, and, even more, weren't even a fan of the music they were producing.

Cue a pull to their heavier roots, and they finally found it: the Mocklove they wanted to be.

“The first song we wrote going in this new direction was actually ‘Mnemophobia,’ which we put out last September, and then we wrote a couple more songs and incorporated those into our live sets,” guitarist Nick DeBrodie says. “Then we just thought about what songs we really want people to hear and associate with us.”

“The thing that sold us on this different direction was what we were doing,” guitarist Rand Olson says. “I didn’t really like our old songs. We started writing these new ones and I was like, ‘Woah. This is awesome.’ I’m actually happy with the product we’re coming out with.”

“It’s good to like your own music,” Munsell agrees, laughing.

It only makes sense that they would hone in on this newfound power in their new EP. And that they did.

We're in Austin, TX tonight at Dirty Dog Bar! Doors open at 8 and it's a FREE SHOW!! Stoked to play with @thecheyenneline @goldstepsatx and @hitting_subset. Come hang! . 📷 / / @walterlyle

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Channeling influences from the likes of Counterparts and 2005-era Paramore, Munsell’s powerhouse vocals grab you at the start with “Soots.” Instruments bite hard, proving their ever-apparent musical muscle. And it's the goosebump-inducing track “It's A Sacred Privilege” that brings the contemplative aspect of the EP to life.

It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home explores the ideas behind life, death and the transition in between. It’s about the understanding that it’s so easy to take our best moments for granted. And, even more, it’s about the beauty of being there for someone through the hardest of times.

“For me, the idea for the EP title, It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home, really hit me when we first brought that idea up because at the time, I was actually singing in a choir where we were talking about what is it like to be with someone as they take their last breath,” Munsell explains. “What does that feel like, and what does that mean?

“So when Nick brought up It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home, I never realized how special it is to be there with someone as they transition from what they were into what they could be and what they can be and what they will be. It really is special to be with someone in that transition period and help them grow, so that’s what I get from it. And that’s what we’ve been through within the last couple of months.”

“Yeah, and I think it’s acknowledging that there is an end to this and to live in the moment and make the most of what you have and what’s going on,” Olson says.

“Even if it’s total shit,” Munsell says in agreement.

“Yes, like our first show,” DeBrodie laughs.

Since their 2016 start, they’ve solidified their sound. They’ve found their emotional connection through their powerful live performances. And, most importantly, they became friends.

The band laugh about their first show and cringe at their first demo, but when asked what changed the most from their start, they agree that they finally understand each other and the importance of cultivating their relationship through it all.

“Honestly, we became friends with each other,” Munsell says. “When we first started, we knew each other, but we weren’t nearly as close as we are now. Getting closer has given us the opportunity to become more intimate with our music, and it helps create a more cohesive product. We’ve become so much closer and we are more honest with ourselves.”

With summer tours and a brand new music video in the works, Mocklove have the music to take them where they want to go.

And if anything is clear, It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home is just the beginning.

“We’re going to sink our teeth into this EP, and we’re going to ride it out as far as we can,” DeBrodie says. “But I certainly don’t think this is our cap. With this EP, it’s just a great start to whatever lies ahead.”

Want more from Mocklove? Pick up a copy of It’s A Sacred Privilege To Walk Someone Home here, and check out their track listing and album artwork below.

Track listing:
1. Soots
2. Mnemophobia
3. It’s A Sacred Privilege...
4. MVMTs
5. ...To Walk Someone Home

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Night Terrors: On influences, pop punk and new music—listen

Chicago has given us some of the biggest bands in the scene. Toss in Real Friends and Knuckle Puck’s recent successes, and it’s evident that the city is a band breeding ground.

It's no surprise that Chicago suburbanites Night Terrors’ newest release, Melanie/Island (Wasting Away), is infused with the city's dynamic pop punk—in the best possible way.

Reflecting back on where it all began, Night Terrors’ Dave Gomez (vocals/bass) cites his biggest influencer as Blue Island’s own, Mest. The combination live energy and performance was enough for Gomez to actually imagine a future in music.

“At a really early age, I knew it was one of those things that if they can do it, then I can do it.”

“Even beyond bands like Blink or Green Day because a lot of people don’t even look at them like people. People look at them as legends, if you will,” Gomez says. “So to see a band from the area actually go on the road and make records? At a really early age, I knew it was one of those things that if they can do it, then I can do it.”

And it’s clear that Night Terrors can do it. Melanie/Island (Wasting Away) bleeds the best of pop punk, with bold strings and hard-hitting percussion perfectly blended with angst-soaked lyrics and Gomez’s commanding vocal vigor.

Not only has the Chicago scene seemingly influenced Night Terrors’ sound—the scene, quite literally, worked its way onto the release itself. 

Featuring the likes of Real Friends’ Dave Knox, Bonfires’ Kevin Provencher and 7 Minutes In Heavens’ Alex Rogers, Gomez had the chance to work with a few of his friends—who just happen to be some of the most influential names in Chicago music.

“It’s kind of weird because it was kind of an accident,” Gomez says. “In the Chicago scene, everyone just kind of knows each other. It doesn’t even matter how far away you live—somebody knows somebody who played a show with somebody.” 

Those somebodies came together and produced a set of songs that could easily lead the pop-punk pack. And though Night Terrors is just getting started, the final product has been a long time coming. “I started this like honestly three years ago,” Gomez says. “I started really trying to hone in on what I wanted to do with songwriting and stuff like that, what I really wanted to say and what I wanted it to be. It took a long time—it took a very long time—but I feel like it’s all leading up to this point.”

So what’s there to expect looking ahead?

“I’m hoping to take over the world,” Gomez says, laughing. With Melanie/Island (Wasting Away), he simply wanted a release that would produce some kind of feeling. And if these tracks prove anything, it’s that Night Terrors accomplished that and more.

“It was honestly 100 percent just about getting something that 12-year-old me would be stoked on.”

“It wasn’t really about ‘Oh my god, I need to sell a bunch of records or play big venues.’ It was honestly 100 percent just about getting something that 12-year-old me would be stoked on,” Gomez says. “I think lately, for the best, I just really didn’t give a shit. I was just like, ‘I’m going to write what I want to write’ and see where it goes. And because of that, I feel like I made something I’m really proud of.”

Melanie/Island (Wasting Away) proves that Night Terrors has plenty to look forward to. With a new found sound and new music promised for 2017, it’s clear that this is only the beginning.

Pick up Melanie/Island (Wasting Away) on Bandcamp or iTunes, and follow Night Terrors on social using the links below.

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The Happy Alright: On looking ahead and finding their sound + tour announcement

There’s nothing like having your van break down on tour—especially when you’re in Maryland and end up driving 25 hours straight back to Texas. “God rest its soul, my poor van died in Maryland,” bassist Mason Steeger says. “We had to figure that out, but up until that point, tour was phenomenal.”

And it’s those phenomenal moments that keeps Texas-based The Happy Alright going. The group spent the summer on the road with their biggest run to date, and the fact that they were across the country and people knew their lyrics?

Unreal.

“People were showing up and singing along in Long Island,” Steeger says. “It was just wild. We were 1500 miles away from home, and people know the words that we wrote.”

Sterling Gavinski (guitar/vocals) chimes in with agreement. “It’s something that you can imagine, like that would be really cool to happen, but it probably never will. So when it happens, you’re like ‘Holy cow, we can keep doing this and this could be a real thing that happens in our lives.’”

With their most recent release, Vacancies, it’s clear that the response is well deserved. Stretching across indie rock and pop punk lines, the EP proves that they're finding their own niche in a genre where it's easy to become monotonous. “Church Steps” opens the EP with a certain emo-drive, carrying riffs and fervent vocals through the rest of the record in a blend that’s as captivating as it is charming.

And since their start back in 2011, they've solidified their lineup and figured out what direction they're hoping to head. Now it's all about honing in on that for their next release.

"Vacancies was the first time we wrote fully as a band, so I feel like with that we were really able to kind of hone in on what we wanted to hear and what we wanted to play,” Gavinski says. “We want it to be refreshing. We want it to be something new, something that will excite people who are kind of bored with listening to like the same type of bands.”

It's clear they're headed in the right direction to make that refreshing new record a reality.  Combining musical muscle and experiences that have helped them grow into the band they are today, The Happy Alright are prepped for whatever comes next—especially considering the supportive scene they've surrounded themselves with.

“Being in a band, you kind of understand other people’s lives and your own life and how multiple lives can come together and be one life in a way,” Gavinski says. “We’ve made a lot of awesome friends and people who just give endlessly… It’s insane. It’s really cool to evolve alongside people and see where they go.”

With another tour coming at the end of November (dates listed below), plus a new record, music videos and more touring on tap for 2017, it's clear the group is on the path to something great.

“16 Grammys,” Gavinski says, laughing.

Steeger ups it. “I’m thinking 17.”

Though it may not be a Grammy (or 17), they are ready to put 100 percent into The Happy Alright come next year.

“We’re just [planning on] taking it as far as we can by putting in all of our energy and all of our time,” Gavinski says. “Honestly, I believe that’s something we could do, you know? We have to be on top of it. We have to work hard, which is something that we’ve been doing on top of school and everything.”

And clearly, these guys are determined. Van breakdowns and all, nothing is slowing The Happy Alright down.

Want more from The Happy Alright? Pick up a copy of Vacancies here, and catch them on tour with Hold Close and Rose Gold in November. Check out the tour dates and their social links below.

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Tour dates:
11/23: Dallas, TX—The Door
11/25: Norman, OK—Earth Rebirth
11/26: Lawrence, KS—House Show
11/27: Springfield, MO—Outland Bar

Welcome Home: The St. Louis rockers are truly ‘Just Happy To Be Here’

Welcome Home basically live on the road. The St. Louis alt rockers spent 34 days on the road in May and June, followed by another 12 come July. They have found their pace, and though it’s not always easy—especially when the AC breaks down two days into a 34-day summer tour—they wouldn’t have it any other way. “You kind of just get lost in the routine of driving, unloading, playing, meeting all these cool people, and then you just pack up and leave,” bassist Kenny Ruiz says. “I think the weirdest part was my mom calling me everyday and being like, ‘So where are you at now?’ and I’d be eight hours from where I was the day before. But it was the best summer of my life.”

With their sights already set on a tour for late fall, they have no plans on slowing down. The group has its roots in St. Louis, where vocalist Nick Pirrone made Welcome Home a reality, recruiting Aaron Selby (guitar), Ruiz (bass) and brothers Austin Jones (guitar) and Brandon Jones (drums) to finish the lineup. They started out as friends in a local scene, growing closer as they took to the touring lifestyle.

“The music scene in St. Louis is great,” Ruiz says. “With touring the country, you kind of see how every scene is different. St. Louis is definitely unique and special to where it’s basically what we grew up with. We’d go out and see everyone playing shows.

“But the biggest decision we had to make is more or less rather than playing St. Louis twice every month, we’re now trying to play St. Louis once every six months and just continue playing new markets all the time. So we’re kind of trying to just establish ourselves, more or less, as a consistently touring band.”

Yet this time on the road is what have given this band their sound—and their experience. The young band, who only solidified their lineup a year and a half ago while wrapping up their second EP, “Where All My Hope Was Buried,” has conquered a feat that can take years for a band to do. For, in that year and a half, Welcome Home have not only produced and released their debut record, but it’s a solid first album at that.

Just Happy To Be Here is brimming with pounding rhythms and emotionally raw vocals, mangled with compelling bass lines and guitar riffs that could be described as both polished and jagged, put together and pulsating. Tracks like “Foolish” slow down the pace of the record, placing an emphasis on Pirrone's commanding vocals, with songs like “Wait” boasting the group's full, impassioned composition—a sound that is specifically Welcome Home.

The record was produced in St. Louis, and it was a group’s worth of effort and influence that created an album that’s as potent in pop punk as it is laden with rousing alt rock. The band thrived in the studio and the team they worked alongside—a winning combination that helped create a cohesive and compelling freshman release. They recorded with Cody James, who they also worked with on their first EP. "Bringing a familiar face like Cody in to the recording process really made the recording process extremely fun and relaxing," Ruiz says. "Cody is one of the nicest and most talented people we know, and we've recorded with him before, so it wasn't much of a thought whether or not he was going to be apart of it." 

Photo credit: Casey Watson, @caseyaudiobot

They also worked alongside Allen Hessler—a man behind so many of the best artists in the scene. “We brought in this guy Allen Hessler, and he’s worked with Real Friends, The Wonder Years, Motionless In White. I mean, his resume speaks for itself,” Ruiz says. “It was a little daunting at first. You know, having that big name come and work with us.”

But working with the big name—daunting or not—seems to have paid off. They’re playing to audiences who are singing along, and it’s blowing them away. When we chat, the group were just decompressing after a house show in Terre Haute, Indiana—which, Ruiz believes, is one of the best shows they've ever played. For them, returning to a venue and seeing the passionate interaction is what they live for.

“There were familiar faces singing the songs, but then there were people that maybe have seen us before, but we just had never had the chance to converse with them. But there were definitely people that I didn’t recognize that were singing the songs,” Ruiz says. “With the new record being out, it was weird looking up and seeing people sing the songs we’ve been playing for months now, but now everyone can actually hear it and own it. It was just cool.”

But being back at home is just as exciting. With an album release show marking their first hometown gig in six months (“We’re itching to be back home,” Ruiz says), Welcome Home are taking it full circle. And really, they’re just happy to be here.

Want more Welcome Home? Pick up a copy of Just Happy To Be Here here, and check out their social links below.

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Dead Fall: Ohio pop punkers on their game-changing EP 'Desperate Situations'

This has been the year for Ohio-based pop punkers Dead Fall. When we sat down to chat, you’d never guess that these humble guys have hit some awesome milestones—they’re simply grateful for it all. But after kicking off 2016 with the release of their EP Desperate Situations, the group is finally starting to feel like they’re gaining some momentum—and they have the proof to back it up.

Their latest release has proven they have found their sound in the genre. Since 2013, they've been slowly figuring it out. Now people are responding, and their successful EP kickoff simply made them realize that they're on the right track.

“That was the biggest like, ‘Oh shit. People are singing these words. They actually know them,’” vocalist Jake Gambatese says of their EP release show. “People were getting on stage, singing along with us. It was pretty cool.”

And as they take the stage at Mahall’s in Cleveland, the guys exude a kind of entrancing energy, all driven by the band's understanding of how to put on a dynamic show. “The more shows we play, I feel like the better we understand how to play live,” Gambatese says.

"FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A PURPOSE!" From our EP release at The Grog Shop 1/9/16. 📷: @garlicjunior_

A photo posted by Dead Fall (@deadfallofficial) on Feb 11, 2016 at 11:37am PST

And the local scene has given them these opportunities to play live; it's one of the few places where any band in the scene would wish to get their start. Based in the college town of Kent, Dead Fall have found a way to thrive in a space that’s as supportive as it is stimulating—a connection to a group of people who are all trying to do the same thing.

In their formative years, the band would take any opportunity thrown their way—it didn’t matter how many shows were in a month, or what genre they were (yes, rap included). But every experience has influenced their sound and the product they’re creating, which may be why they’re not the easiest to nail down.

Nick Barker provides the band’s throbbing beats, with Anthony Lupica and Ryan Task yielding searing guitar riffs, Seth Holt bringing the bass and Gambatese rounding off the effort with rough-around-the-edges vocals. The group finds a way to stray from the cookie-cutter pop punk equation by throwing in post-hardcore breakdowns (“In The Way”) and finding a comfort in slowing down with melodic, acoustic-driven tracks as well (“Deadline”).

Though 2016 may slowly be coming to a close, it's still a promising look ahead for the group. They're hoping for more recording and more rad gigs, with a game-changing opportunity to open for pop punk powerhouses Neck Deep come September. The guys are finally seeing their hard work pay off, and if anything is evident after this year’s success, it’s that Dead Fall has nowhere to go but up.

Want more Dead Fall? Pick up a copy of Desperate Situations here, and check out their social links below.

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Life Lessons: 'I Know What I’m Not' helped them find what they are

Oklahoma City-based pop punkers Life Lessons had quite a July. They dropped a new EP, I Know What I'm Not, toured the East coast with Sudden Suspension and, when I chatted with them, were catching their breath after playing a set in Cleveland, Ohio. They're 15 hours from home, and people knew their lyrics—saying they were blown away would be an understatement.

But it's moments like this that they've experienced on the road, and touring on their most recent release has been their top priority. “We’re just trying to tour hard right now. Get in front of people. That’s all that matters,” says vocalist Kaden Birdsong. “If we get in front of people, we think, and hope, that we can impress them.”

“We hope that we can make a good impression,” chimes in guitarist Alex Akins. “Or at least some kind of impression.”

And an impression is what they’ve made—whether they want to admit to it or not. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Life Lessons have been recording and releasing music since 2013. But it was 2015’s What The Silence Meant, their first “real” EP, with Birdsong on vocals, Akins on guitar, Chris Lewis on drums, Josh O'Dell on guitar/vocals and Andrew Wasson on bass, that truly solidified what the band wanted to become.

After years of developing their sound in a home scene saturated with hardcore, the pop punkers have found a mix between emo and pop punk, with ardent vocals, dynamic guitar riffs and thundering drum beats reflecting the likes of Knuckle Puck and The Wonder Years.

Coming from an area where hardcore reigns supreme, the guys had to find what they wanted to create—and make that stick. “When we started writing the songs for this last EP, that is when we started feeling really confident in what we were doing. We were like, ‘No, we’re making solid music. We need to tour. We need to push.’ I’m proud of where we are right now," says Birdsong. "We’re going hard. Oklahoma needs to be put on the map by a couple bands.”

Oklahoma City may not be a pop punk capital of the world—the scene isn’t as saturated as Chicago, or even Cleveland, where the guys are at tonight. But there’s a spark there. Young people are starting bands and coming out to shows. The guys think back to 2012 when the scene was thriving, and they’re excited to see that there's life flowing back through it again. They don’t see a positive response to their EP as simply a testament to themselves—it’s for the local scene as a whole.

“It’s kind of nice for the community, as opposed to just ourselves,” says Akins. “The people that were around then know what it was like, as opposed to the newer kids that when you show them one of the videos [from 2012], they’re just like, ‘That’s a local show?’ ‘Yeah, that’s a local headliner.’”

“The rest of us that were around feel like all the big shows, yeah, we finally have that again,” says Birdsong. “These kids are like, ‘Woah, where did this come from?’"

And this local response is enough to keep the fire going. After a solid release and an exciting year of touring ahead, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they're making a name for themselves. “The EP release show and tour kick off was the first time we’ve been like, ‘Oh shit, there are so many people watching us.’ It was awesome,” says Birdsong. “It was the first time we’ve been like, ‘Damn, if we could do this everywhere, it’d be amazing.’”

And if the humble guys keep up the pace they're at now, they might just be the next big thing.

Want more Life Lessons? Pick up a copy of I Know What I'm Not here, and check out their social links below.

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Marina City: Chicago's "lost boys" are finding their way

Think about four-year growth in terms of high school. By the time senior year rolls around, there’s a good chance that things have finally sorted themselves out.

Like those high school years, Marina City has four years and three EPs under their belt. With their fourth release set to drop this summer, the band has made it clear that their “senior year” is proving to be their year on top.

The self-proclaimed “aggressive pop rockers” have a list of impressive feats and are included on almost every must-see list for both Warped Tour and Riot Fest. But that doesn’t mean that they have it all figured out. "I think we're getting closer to what we really want to do," Ryan Argast (lead vocals) says. "It's just evolving every day right now."

In fact, the past four years have consisted of trying, and trying some more. Their sound blends A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out theatrics with Infinity On High's powerful melodies, proving that Marina City has found its roots in the scene. But the band doesn't want to be pigeonholed into one specific genre, and after giving their discography a listen, it’s a valid argument to make.

Eric Somers-Urrea provides driving beats, Todor Birindjiev and Brian Johnson supply addictive riffs, Matthew Gaudiano’s use of keyboard bestows a magical melody, and Aaron Heiy’s bold strums on the bass are all directly complimented by what sets them apart most: the group’s three vocalists. Argast and Gaudiano’s silky smooth vocals combined with Johnson’s rough-around-the-edges sound truly defines the six piece's aggressive pop rock sound.

The group just finished an East Coast run with pop punkers and fellow Chicago natives Sleep On It, and it’s the windy city scene that has helped them get where they are. In fact, they took home the 2016 Band of the Year award at the annual Chicago Nightlife Awards. “We’re very into being Chicago-ans, and everyone around us is like that,” Argast says. “The local scene has been absolutely amazing. It’s getting stronger and stronger every day, so we are very lucky to be a part of that.”

And this success has spread much further than their Chi-town home base. They claimed the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands champions title in 2015—and got all the opportunities that go with it.

One such Ernie Ball champ reward? A run on Warped Tour come July. “We’ve all started working out regularly, like no joke,” Argast says. “We learned that we were going to be on Warped Tour in October, and since that it’s been nothing but preparing mentally and physically about how we’re going to do it. Because it’s an opportunity that you get once in a lifetime, and we want to take over.”

Expecting East coast or Midwest tour stops—the band’s typical treading ground—they weren’t expecting a West Coast run. “I think it’s actually a positive that they gave us all West coast Warped Tour dates because it’s a challenge for us, and we love challenges,” Birindjiev says.

And just like their senior year Warped win, the guys have also had the chance to work with the likes of Craig Owens (of Chiodos fame) and John Feldmann (who’s worked with the likes of Panic! At The Disco, Blink-182, Good Charlotte, All Time Low—the list could go on) this spring.

“In one month we recorded with Feldmann and Craig, and it was so eye-opening,” Argast says. “We learned more in that month than we did in about four years as a band. Both of those guys are amazing individuals and incredible musicians and producers.”

And their exciting year isn’t over yet.

Looking at their successes, it’s clear that the challenges they’ve taken on have paid off. As they prepare for a release of their fourth EP, Lost Doesn’t Mean Alone, it's obvious that these guys really aren’t lost at all. They’re well on their way for something bigger.  “We work on this band 24/7,” Argast says. “Be prepared for Warped Tour and Riot Fest, and we’ll see where the band goes from there.”

Want more Marina City? Preorder their EP here, and be sure to check out their social links below.

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On Tour With 7 Minutes In Heaven for 'Drake Magazine Online'

It’s not very often that you walk into a show and catch the vocalist wearing a onesie. But when Chicago-based pop-punk band 7 Minutes in Heaven took the stage at Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, vocalist Alex Rogers was proudly sporting penguin footie pajamas. “Today is penguin appreciation day,” he says.

And is this the craziest thing to happen on tour? Not a chance.

Just the night before, the band’s tour van slid off the road. The trailer jack-knifed, and sparks flew. It was as badass as it was terrifying. “We’re alive though,” guitar and vocalist Timmy Rasmussen says.

And this just seems to be the kind of lifestyle 7 Minutes in Heaven is used to. The band started as Rasmussen’s solo project in 2012. But Rogers (vocals/bass) and Justin Mondzak’s (guitar) addition seemed to be exactly what 7MIH needed to find their sound, combining pop/punk/rock elements with catchy, can’t-help-but- sing-a-long choruses.

After touring and releasing “The Statement: Deluxe” at the end of 2014, they started off 2015 on the road with the first part of the Cold Kids and Campfires Tour. After that, the band started writing the band’s newest offering “Side Effects.”

Fast-forward one year, and the band is starting off 2016 with the Cold Kids and Campfires Tour Part 2—hitting 11 Midwest cities in 11 days—living the tour life, complete with “shitty fast food and really long smoke breaks,” bringing a summer campfire vibe to each frozen Midwest city along the way.

Lanterns light the stage in the dim venue, and Rasmussen and Mondzak strum the opening chords to “Firework,” which quite literally begins the acoustic show with a bang. Rogers’ commanding vocals start the tune, and concertgoers join right in.

“This is our first tour promoting the EP,” Rogers says, “And kids have been singing along to our new songs. We never really expected that.”

“Side Effects,” was released in December, hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Alt New Artist chart and reaching the top 10 on the iTunes Alternative Charts.

“This is the first time that we’ve written together as a band,” Mondzak says. “We found out how each other writes and what our thought process is during the recording.”

Rogers agrees. “This EP kind of decided our path, solidifying what we’re about as a band.”

Their identity as a band is even more important than most. As an unsigned band, they don’t have a record label to lean on. They rely on the fans for survival in the oversaturated online music environment. “It’s fun being able to make something happen because you have this relationship with these people,” Rogers says.

Plus, they’ve found that the Midwest might just be the place to kick start a music career.

Rogers remembers “the glory days” when America’s flyover states were a musical hub. And then it lost momentum. The music scene filled with “shitty metal bands,” but authentic pop-punk is finding its focus back on Midwest talent. “Like the economy, it takes a couple years of something happening for it to actually take effect,” Rogers says. “And I feel like in the Midwest specifically, we have all eyes back on us.”

With bands like Knuckle Puck and Real Friends coming out of Chicago, 7MIH is ready to make their name known.

“Most of the time, we are written off as this ‘scene pop wannabe,’” Rogers says.

“We want to be a part of that pop punk [scene],” Rasmussen says. “We want pits, we want crowd surfers.”

And with So What?! festival up next for 2016, they are listed alongside some of the biggest names in pop punk today—think State Champs, Neck Deep, and more.

It’s their first festival. Another trip across the country, another story to tell. And to them, that’s what being in a band is all about.

“Like yesterday, for example,” Rogers says in agreement.

“We could be dead today, but we’re not,” Rasmussen adds. “Now we can tell that story.”