SAFETY WORD ORANGE – On Your Mark. Get Set. (Self-Released): These guys are a pop-punk band like CARTEL are a pop-punk band. You can hear the punk elements just barely in their sound, but the emphasis is truly on the pop aspect – the craftsmanship of the hooks, the rich textures in the guitars and vocals. “Refined” is what I hear in SAFETY WORD ORANGE… they’re not breaking any new ground, but just doing the best they can to perfect a very hard to perfect style. Lead vocalist Jason Mason has a big ol’ voice and the backing vocals are a plus. RIYL: THE DANGEROUS SUMMER, MAYDAY PARADE, ALL TIME LOW.

IMADETHISMISTAKE – Bow and Quiver (Bermuda-Mohawk Productions): Oddball emo/indie with occasional horns (a smooth saxophone and bratty french horn), and the distinctly awkward vocals of Kylewilliam Campol. The takeaway from Bow has to the spoken/sung vocals, which basically direct tone and tempo traffic on this full-length. Part slam-poet, part battered-crooner, Campol’s efforts amplify the quirky tics in the music, not unlike LOOK MEXICO colliding with an emo Beastie Boys… or something. Maybe it’s like Max Bemis trying to read words out of a book that has exploded into flames. When the band lets loose on “Weak Week,” it makes me wish they played fast more often.

IRON RAIN – Silent Sins EP (Panic Records): This came out in January but shouldn’t be off anyone’s radar just yet. The Chicago band delivers a knockout of 90s style metallic hardcore ala UNBROKEN, SLUGFEST, and HOPE CONSPIRACY. The screamy vocals are solid, but it’s the dead-on dynamic between the busy drumming and the crunchy, snarlin’ guitars that hold your attention. A little of dramatic atmospheric tension leaches in midway through the EP, adding to the heft of the moment, and allowing some rest between the rolling waves of punches. Great band name too.

OCTAVES – Greener Pastures (Hotfoot Records): Hotfoot has been on a tear lately with quality releases from KILLS AND THRILLS, RENAE, and now one from Baltimore’s OCTAVES. Greener Pastures doesn’t take genre-classification easily, like most modern hardcore/screamo bands, and the songwriting lacks a linear vision (which isn’t a bad thing, mind you… unless you’re waiting for the breakdown, and it never comes…). EVERY TIME I DIE seems like an obvious influence, but OCTAVES pack more chaos and whirlwind energy, or at least make me think about ETID before they become a professional rock band.