Just Before The Drop: #19
Featuring: Linkin Park, We Came As Romans, mgk and more. Check out the newest issue of your weekly, curated modern punk & hardcore music recommendations.
Salut! 👋
We’re happy to bring you a new pack of super-versatile tunes, offering a fresh experience of musical discovery. As always, we’ve mixed in everything we could - so this time you’ll find some heavy, really heavy bangers alongside lighter, nostalgic melodies. We hope it helps you survive these next few days.
Enjoy! Lukas & Adi 🤘🤘
Let You Fade
by Linkin Park | picked by Lukas
Let You Fade arrived on May 16, 2025 as the closing single from From Zero (Deluxe Edition), rounding out the expanded set of previously unheard tracks the band recorded during and after the original album sessions. This track began life in the “From Zero studio” but found its final form in subsequent sessions, showcasing Mike Shinoda’s restrained, “not rapped” verses beneath sweeping guitar lines. With Emily Armstrong now firmly in the lead-vocal role, her performance here, with less screaming parts carries both clarity and grit.
Many listeners have praised Let You Fade for its emotional weight, ranking it among their top favorites from the deluxe edition and applauding the chemistry between Mike and Emily. Others feel the song’s structure leans toward the familiar and could have benefitted from a bolder arrangement, describing it as serviceable but somewhat rushed for a standalone single. As Linkin Park gears up to headline Wembley Stadium in June - supported by Spiritbox - the track stands as both a bridge to their past and a pointer toward what this new lineup can achieve.
Check out previous issues of Just Before The Drop!
Where Were You…?
by Solence | selected by Lukas
Where Were You..? dropped on May 17, 2025 as the lead single from Solence’s forthcoming fifth album, Angels Calling, due this October via Better Noise Music. Hailing from Norrköping, Sweden, Markus Videsäter (vocals), David Strääf (guitar), Johan Swärd (keyboards) and David “Viking” 💂 Vikingsson (drums) dig into a blend of electronics and metalcore, and this track underscores their knack for high-power hooks. Strääf describes it as “a fast and fun song about a friend letting you down when you needed them the most”, pointing to its driving beat, bold chorus, and a genre-bending breakdown that balances heaviness with danceable, disco-like energy.
Their evolution from the melodic intensity of Hope Is a Cult (2023) is evident here: synths meet riffs, while Videsäter’s lyrics channel genuine frustration - Where were you when I needed you? - without overplaying the sentiment.
With Angels Calling slated for early October release, Solence will hit the road this November, opening for Nothing More across Europe beginning November 7 in Finland. We want to bring the fun back into rock ’n’ roll, Videsäter explains - and if Where Were You… is any indication, their upcoming shows promise a potent mix of high-energy performance and heartfelt storytelling.
Heaven
by Adept | picked by Lukas
They’re back!
Heaven arrived on May 13, 2025 via Napalm Records, marking Adept’s first new music in nearly nine years. Formed in Trosa, Sweden in 2004, the quartet made their name with a blend of melodic intensity and crushing breakdowns before pausing activity in 2016 and formally disbanding in 2019. Reuniting with new guitarist and drummer, in late 2024, they tapped producer Henrik Udd (Architects, Bring Me The Horizon) to sculpt Heaven into a four-minute burst of raw emotion. Vocalist Robert Ljung describes the track as a dark and emotional song about carrying old scars into the present and learning how to face them, and you can hear that tension in every surged riff and soaring chorus.
So as I think that it’s a the perfect comeback song, and I praise its immediate hook and emotional heft, that track lives up to their older material. That said I’m full of hope for more textured dynamics in future releases. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to hear them again, with their remarkable style, however, it would be nice to experience something new and fresh. We’ll see.
Revery
by Electric Callboy | picked by Lukas
Revery hit streaming services on May 23, 2025, marking Electric Callboy’s first new material since longtime drummer David-Karl (kurwa 😝) Friedrich’s departure the previous month.1 The track serves as the lead single for their yet-to-be-titled seventh studio album, promising a darker, more cinematic direction. Where recent singles leaned into tongue-in-cheek, comedy and party anthems, Revery opens with ominous, melodic and raw riffs and Kevin Ratajczak’s evolved, massively deep scream before erupting into an epic, chant-like chorus. The accompanying music video reinforces this shift - eschewing the band’s usual humor for a stylized dark-fantasy narrative, complete with shadowy forests and theatrical costuming.
It’s definitely a grower. Bit different, bit odd, darker, deeper, less funny and “chaotic”. It’s good to hear something like that, and it’s not like they’ve changed lot, it’s still Electric Callboy as we know. However they’ve beed announcing a small change for a while now, and this track might be the first sign of it. You must check it!
cliché
by mgk | picked by Lukas
He’s here again. It’s really hard to omit what he’s doing guys. And guess what, he’s dancing now, and how!
Cliché dropped on May 23, 2025 as the first taste of Machine Gun Kelly’s forthcoming seventh studio album. Co-written by Colson Baker, Emma Rosen and Andrew Migliore the track leans into early-2000s pop–punk nostalgia with modern polish. Its brisk, 2:56 runtime is built around hand-clap rhythms, chiming guitars reminiscent of Blink-182 and a chant-ready chorus. Lyrically, MGK wrestles with vulnerability - Tell me, would you stay with me? - widely presumed to reference his high-profile split from Megan Fox. Yeah they’re alone again… 😨
Reactions have skewed positive on social media. On YT Song has inspired a full-blown dance craze, while its inclusion on Spotify’s Global New Music Friday and heavy rotation on MTV Live and Times Square billboards have amplified its reach. However, some longtime fans chafed at the overtly pop sheen, accusing MGK of drifting too far from his rock roots - criticisms he’s met with good humor, reminding critics “It’s a pop song, man”.
And so I think we should treat this like. He’s playing, playing with genres, trying new things, being original and surprising. And that’s good! Really.
Fade Out
by Millington | picked by Adi
Suburban pop-punk/ska. That’s how the guys in Millington describe their music. Add in an early-2000s vibe straight out of Less Than Jake or some of Goldfinger’s work, throw in even more pop-punk, and you’ve captured the essence of the band they formed in 2018.
This six-piece, complete with a horn section, moves effortlessly within its own groove. The group’s founder, Cody Okonski, assembled a strong lineup back in 2018 and even tags their sound as “ska/rock with horns.” You have to admit - it’s creative…
Fade Out won’t be a game-changer in the ska world, but if you’re a fan of Reel Big Fish, you’ll enjoy Millington just as much - especially since they’ve got an intense summer of live dates lined up.
Vista Verde
by Stateside | picked by Adi
At the beginning of June, the Australians will release their fourth full-length album, and they’ve just unveiled the third track promoting it - arguably their most personal yet.
“This song is about my sister”, says vocalist Lemus Garcia.
When I was eight, my older sister moved out, and we’ve lost touch ever since. ‘Vista Verde’ is the result of all the frustration and helplessness I felt whenever someone asked me about her.
The Brisbane quartet has spent the last three years on the road, and Where You Found Me is meant to be the culmination of every experience from that period, including the toughest ones.
no rest for the dreamer
We Came As Romans | picked by Adi
The new WCAR track made its debut live during their high-energy set at Welcome To Rockville and was met with an immediate, enthusiastic response.
The band keeps the momentum going following the release of their banger Bad Luck. No Rest For The Dreamer is for those who are still fighting for their future those who aren’t done yet. "
It’s about carrying your past, knowing you’re still not where you want to be.
… explains frontman Dave Stepens.
There’s more good news for fans: in July they’ll kick off a world tour, starting in North America before heading to Europe. Along the way they’ll hit major festivals like Warped Tour and When We Were Young. If you haven’t seen them live yet, now’s the time - just like on the title track, there’s no rest for this band.
All That I Remember
Amity Affliction | picked by Adi
The world of Amity Affliction has been buzzing ever since co-founder Ahren Stringer and the rest of the band went their own, not‐exactly‐healthy way. But life abhors a vacuum, and the group has just dropped its first single after that seismic shake-up.
Stepping in as the new frontman is Jonny Reeves from Kingdom Of Giants. If you were hoping the new track would dive deep into the fallout with Stringer, you’ll have to wait - this isn’t that moment. Instead, you get an intensely personal song about lead singer Joel Birch’s painful relationship with his mother before she passed. It’s heavy in every sense of the word.
Check out previous issues of Just Before The Drop!
So Dead
by Jerk Beefy | picked by Adi
Belgium’s punk scene has always been prolific, and today we’re serving up its lighter side. Jerk Beefy hail from the 90,000-strong town of Aalst. They dropped their first single in 2018 and followed up a year later, but it wasn’t until 2023 - when they won the Rock Affligem auditions - that their name started to spread beyond Brussels.
Expect plenty of catchy, melodic choruses backed by explosive guitars and a distinctive vocal style. They’ve spent seven years honing and perfecting the songs for their debut album, which just dropped. If you’re digging around Europe’s pop-punk scene, Belgium has just gained a serious new contender - one that doesn’t care that it’s been 25 years since the year 2000 and sounds like Windows Millennium is just booting up. And we mean that in the best way possible.
And finally, the full playlist! 🤘
You can play it along, or just save within your Spotify account. Be safe, Lukas & Adi.
Since now we already know that the new drummer - at least for upcoming tours - will be/is one and only Frank Zummo. Who would know …