Features editor Victor Kidwell takes on a maligned genre in this installment of For The Record. (Photo via Spotify)

I hate pop-punk. I hate nu-metal. I hate anything that would play in a mall in the mid-2000s.

“What type of music do you listen to?” I always give a pretty simple “everything.” It’s just too complicated to go into further, and no one ever wants to hear that you’re diving into ‘70s Libyan funk or NYC acid jazz. Trust me on this one.

But no matter how much I can’t stand answering this question, I do take a certain pride in actually living up to this answer. I haven’t met a genre that I haven’t found something redeeming in. True, I think Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, and Papa Roach represent the ultimate failure of human achievement. But Ikd-sj, Onesidezero, and Deftones score a not- so-insignificant win for the genre.

There’s a certain laziness in genre-hatred—what I hear is you’re not interested in further exploration “everything but country” is my enemy, in concise terms. So in this spirit, I present to you the Kidwell guide to pop punk; Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance not included. Thank God!

It is no secret that I love Antartigo Vespucci. More specifically, I love the frontman, ska-punk icon Jeff Rosenstock. As a senior, “Don’t Die In Yr Hometown” is particularly dear to my heart. It’s the epitome of a slacker track, with some pretty neat shoegaze undertones. This track just hits you like a train. It has something to say, and we don’t have a choice but to listen. Teen angst done right, without cringy clichés.

Atom and His Package is the alias of ‘90s punk rocker Adam Goren, and his synth-punk interpretation of “Going to Georgia” by the Mountain Goats is pretty spectacular. The folk song gets a quirktronica rebrand that somehow adds to the energy of the track while keeping the nature the same. This song has been a classic on my rotation for a while, maybe getting the most plays in the summer each year. It has a DIY ethos that actually contains emotional depth.

“Hey! You’re part of it!” What a classic hook and what a classic song. Without sounding like a Reddit lurker, this song is one of my stand-out examples of emo music. And real, legit third-wave stuff—I’ve been around the block with this genre, and I mean Midwestern emo all the way to genre engineers Embrace.

I may be betraying the intentions of this mix with this emo interjection, but man, the infectious nature of “American Hearts” by Piebald is not to be sniffed at. The band came out of Boston, of all places (who’s surprised?) and also used to be involved in the early ‘90s hardcore scene. I could not place the (among other things) generally milquetoast northeastern band among hardcore and metal-esque outfits like Converge and Jesuit. Great bands, mind you; just not something I can see being an opener to “King of the Road,” though.

New Yorkers Luna come through with “California,” a low-key semi ballad that might be the most criminally underrated song out there. I am not sure how this band hasn’t ever really gotten a ton of popular traction; they have it all. Neat melodies, laid-back vocals and a good background that lends itself to success; it was formed in the aftermath of pretty legendary slowcore band Galaxie 500’s breakup. I think Luna sticks much closer to the slacker rock profile than to indie rockers, and this track is almost surfer-rock in its atmosphere. Fitting!

I think the way Matthew Sweet layers vocals is an incredible standout in this list and creates a really hard-hitting chorus shift. “Warning” has an almost dissonant quality as the chorus fades, creating a captivating sonic hook. It’s melancholic enough (and weird enough!) to stand out, but holds the line in the world of pop-punk. It’s not the same-same garbage churned out and sent straight to alt-rock stations on the radio (my sworn nemesis).

“Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead” by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists has very concise vocals. I think there’s a wah-wah pedal thrown in on this track, adding texture and wavering to the twinkling, high-pitch guitar tones. The titular man, Ted Leo himself, had a pretty packed career before the band, with some production credits for bands like Jejune and solo and band efforts. They originally signed to Lookout! Records, way out in Berkeley, California— which drives me crazy, because what do you mean, there aren’t any good labels in Leo’s native D.C.? What an incredible slight.