Everett Watson is an independent rock artist, songwriter, and guitarist known for crafting powerful, guitar‑driven music with thoughtful, emotionally resonant lyrics. Blending classic and modern rock influences, he creates songs built on memorable hooks, dynamic arrangements, and honest storytelling.
As a fully independent musician, Watson writes, performs, records, and produces all his work, giving him complete creative control. His music explores personal struggles, relationships, social issues, and the shifting realities of modern life, always with a focus on authenticity and strong musicianship.
I love the mood of the new track, Raise Me From The Dead. I find the song incredibly catchy, with a chorus that sticks in your head. It’s a well written and well performed track, with production that perfectly suits the genre (and I love the sound of the guitars).
Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow Everett Watson if you like what you hear.
With just eight weeks to go until heavy metal fans descend upon Catton Park, the organisers of Bloodstock Open Air 2026 have unleashed a massive wave of festival updates. The announcement covers everything from the first batch of regional band winners and crucial lineup alterations to on-site charity events and expanded sustainable travel initiatives for … Continue reading Bloodstock 2026 reveals first Metal 2 The Masses winners, lineup changes, and site updates
Well, this is a somewhat significant anniversary. On this day 15 years ago, I launched this blog. I figured it was something I’d do for a little while. And now “a little while” has turned into a decade-and-a-half and over 2,700 reviews. On day one, I stated that I’d only be reviewing “old school punk rock and its immediate variants.” Clearly, my mission has evolved. I doubt I’ll still be doing Faster and Louder in five more years, so this is most likely its last big milestone anniversary. Much about music has changed in the last 15 years. Much about the world has changed in the last 15 years. But I’ve managed to remain enthusiastic and consistent in maintaining this blog, which is somewhat surprising given that I tried to “retire” from writing about music numerous times in the past.
My longest “retirement” was the three-and-a-half years that preceded me starting F & L. When I came back into this world, I did it on my terms. I vowed only to write about music I liked. I wasn’t going to be a “critic,” nor was I going to review stuff just because someone asked me to. I was just going to be a fan and spread the gospel about bands I was into. I envisioned myself as an evangelist for independent music.
I am so against self-promotion that I don’t even feel particularly comfortable writing this post. But there’s a reason why I’m still here 15 years later: I really love this music I write about! So I thought a fun thing to do for today would be for me to compile a list of my favorite albums from these past 15 years. More or less, these are the 15 albums I’ve listened to the most since 2011 — the ones I keep going back to and the ones I’ll want to own on vinyl if I ever have the space for a record room. On that note, let’s go!
20. The Exbats – Song Machine (2023)
On Song Machine, the greatest ’60s pop band of the 21st century set the Wayback Machine for 1971 and released one of the most perfectly-titled albums in the history of recorded music. Song Machine finds daughter/dad duo Inez and Kenny McLain delivering one could-have-been ’70s AM radio hit after another — with timeless melodies and majestic harmonies reigning supreme as always. How do soft rock, bubblegum, and sunshine pop vibes fit in with The Exbats’ signature pop classicism and punk spirit? Gloriously, it turns out. We have not heard any new music from this band since Song Machine, and that bums me out.
19. The Gaggers – Gag on This (2018)
Is it cheating to include a singles collection? Who cares? When it comes to snotty old school punk rock, this album earns a seat at the table with the all-time greats.
18. The Yum Yums – For Those About To Pop! (2020)
The title says it all. This is the magnum opus from Morten Henriksen and his merry band of power pop/bubblegum punk enthusiasts: 14 tracks of pure sonic sugar for the eternal teenager in all of us.
17. Pale Lips – Wanna Be Bad (2016)
This is the only band to appear twice on this list. Everyone talks about “Mary-Lou Sniffin’ Glue,” but how great are “Jangaroo” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Dipshit”?
16. Night Birds – Mutiny at Muscle Beach (2015)
The entire Night Birds catalog is not to be fucked with, but they were at the peak of their powers on this particular record, a genuine classic of modern-day American hardcore punk. “Left in the Middle” was so prophetic that it still gives me chills.
15. honeychain – Crushed (2017)
I can’t believe this album isn’t talked about more often. It’s one of the best punk-inspired power pop records ever made, and Hillary Burton’s songwriting is extraordinary. Kim Shattuck produced this album, so those ’90s punky alt-rock vibes are no accident. A perfect record!
14. Natalie Sweet – Oh, By The Way… (2019)
Since a debut Shanghais album and a sophomore Tina and the Total Babes album never got made, Natalie Sweet and Travis Ramin got together and collaborated on this gem. Textbook power pop with a punk rock attitude and hit songs for days.
13. The Dahlmanns – All Dahled Up (2011)
When it comes to defining power pop bands of the past 15 years, The Dahlmanns take a back seat to no one. Their new album is incredible as well.
12. Rich Ragany – You Can Get Dark with Me (2024)
I’ve been championing Rich Ragany for years. I have raved about albums he has done with Role Models, The Digressions, and now The Sideshows. But on this intimate solo album, Rags crafted his masterpiece. These are songs that hit me deep in my soul. When I call Rags one of our greatest living songwriters, I can point to You Can Get Dark with Me as Exhibit A.
11. The Melmacs – Good Advice (2022)
True to its title, this debut from Germany’s most lovable power pop/punk band is full of indispensable life advice….and amazing tunes.
10. Hayley and the Crushers – Modern Adult Kicks (2022)
2020’s Vintage Millennial was the record that made me notice that Hayley and the Crushers had become something special, but Modern Adult Kicks took it to another level. All those punk, pop, surf, and new wave influences come together here to form a truly great modern & mature rock album that has surely gone platinum in some alternate universe I wish I could be living in.
9. The Cheap Cassettes – They’ll Never Forgive You for Pop (2024)
There are few precedents in music history for what happened here. A great band with one vocalist/songwriter brings in a second vocalist/songwriter and turns into an even greater band. Charles Matthews and Scott Sutherland went together like peanut butter and jelly, and I’m pretty sure everyone has forgiven them for pop.
8. Phone Jerks – self-titled (2018)
In just a couple years, Phone Jerks went from being a band I probably liked mainly because they were one of the few bands out there doing real-deal ’90s-style garage punk to a band I liked because they were genuinely great. Much has been made of Phone Jerks knowing how to rip off all the right bands, but when I listen to this record now, I’m struck by how killer these tunes are. Sure, they were not adverse to lifting directly from the Rip Off Records catalog, but they also brought those early American and Aussie punk influences that are often missing from budget rock. This may very well be the best album Alien Snatch Records has ever released.
7. Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band – Promises to Deliver (2013)
I didn’t get fully into this album until Rum Bar Records reissued it, but once I did, I played it to death and still do. Heartland rock meets Midwestern punk done to perfection. Rock ‘n’ roll with soul. If I ever have a baseball career, the title track will be my walk-up song.
6. Something Fierce – Don’t Be So Cruel (2011)
I reviewed this album 15 years ago today — meaning this was one of the records that made me want to write about music again. And it still holds up. This was classic punk rock with progressive intentions. Imagine The Clash in 1982 if they’d been more into power pop and Wire’s Pink Flag. It was a shame that they never followed this album. But what a way to go out!
5. Midnite Snaxxx – Chew on This (2017)
When it comes to straight-forward old school punk with pop hooks, this album is worthy of modern classic status. Dulcinea Gonzalez is an all-time great in the punk world.
4. The Cry! – self-titled (2011)
I can still remember how floored I was when Greg Mongroll turned me on to this record. This debut from Portland, Oregon’s The Cry! is the embodiment of perfect power pop with just the right amount of ’50s/’60s rock ‘n’ roll flavor and modern punk influence in the mix.
3. Kurt Baker – Brand New Beat (2012)
This album practically launched a new genre of music: power pop played by ’90s pop-punk kids. Its influence is undeniable, and this set of songs (co-written by Wyatt Funderburk) perfectly defines Kurt Baker and his “Have a good time all the time!” persona in the 2010s. You could argue that the Baker/Funderburk collaborations only got better over the years, but this one is special to me because it came first!
2. The Speedways – Radio Sounds (2020)
I’ll put this record up against almost any power pop album ever made. Matt Julian isn’t just a great power pop songwriter. He’s a great songwriter, period.
1. Pale Lips – After Dark (2019)
This holds the top spot because numbers don’t lie. I’ve listened to this record more times than I’ve listened to any record on this list. This is everything rock ‘n’ roll music ought to be. These songs are fun and full of energy, and they’re also smart and full of substance. Toss ’70s punk, power pop, girl groups, garage punk, and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll in a blender, mix thoroughly, add oodles of charm, gusto, and effortless cool, and you’ve got yourself a classic record. It’s no shocker that members of this band have gone on to do more amazing things.
Honorable Mentions
Los Pepes – For Everyone (2014) Brad Marino – Extra Credit (2019) Fashionism – Smash Singles (2018)
The Sleeveens – self-titled (2024)
So there you have it: a little look back at my favorite records since 2011. Now I can return to looking straight ahead and forward. When I launched this blog, I had just turned 40. Now I’m 55. I’ve gone from a young man to an entry-level senior citizen. Back then, I never could have envisioned a time when literally hundreds of thousands of songs would be getting released daily and even little-known music bloggers like me would have their inboxes inundated with communication from professional publicists. In theory, the move away from traditional media controlling the music scene should have led to the music mattering more than marketing and promotion. But the opposite has happened. There’s so much competition out there for people’s time and attention that you have to hustle just to get anyone to give a damn about this music that you’re putting your heart and soul into. And that’s what inspires me to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m not trying to make anyone rich or famous. But if I can write about a band I love and turn one or two people into fans as well, then I’ve made some sort of small difference.
Whether you’ve been along for the ride from the start or are tuning in for the very first time, thanks for taking the time to check out the music I feature here. And of course, thanks to all of you who make this amazing music and give me a reason to keep spreading the gospel!
After building up an huge head of steam these past couple of years, unpeople have now unveiled the details of their biggest statement yet.
The band’s debut album will be titled ‘we are unpeople’ and will be released on October 09 via SharpTone Records. It’s the band’s first full body of work since their 2024 EP ‘unpeople’.
The band had this to say about it, stating, ‘we are unpeople’ is released into the world on October 9th and we couldn’t be more proud of it”, say the band. “We collectively put our absolute everything into it and we can’t wait to share it with you all!
The artwork looks like this:
Whilst the tracklisting is like this:
1. clouds 2. friends 3. the garden 4. swallow 5. bottle it 6. blueprints 7. haunted 8. waste 9. look up 10. kangareuben 11. smother 12. as you were
The keen eyed among you will see that the record features their already iconic track ‘the garden’ as well as ‘waste’ and ‘smother’ from their debut EP, as well as recently shared single ‘clouds’.
It also features freshly unleased track ‘friends’, a rip-roaring, rallying and raw piece of fun and fierce post-everything. Brimming with throat-shredding screams, insatiable melodies and plenty of angular intent, it’s a real earworm.
Vocalist Jake Crawford had this to say about the tune:
“‘friends’ is essentially a love song from the perspective of someone who is wholly sceptical about the very concept of love and what it’s come to mean in a modern context. I am essentially saying I am going to kill the very concept of love before it’s even had a chance to get a hold of me – I am that afraid of being that vulnerable. I’d rather not bother than risk saying something I don’t mean, and then pay for it emotionally down the line. I’m fully aware that this is not necessarily healthy, but the mind takes you to some strange places when strong feelings are involved.”
I Don’t Wanna Be Me is one of Type Of Negative’s hallmark songs, but the story of its conception was, typically, surrounded by controversy, mayhem and a dose of black humour
Tulus is one of the long-running acts of the Norwegian black metal scene, returning on March 27, 2026 with their eighth full-length album. Morbid Desires was released by Darkness Shall Rise Productions on CD, vinyl and cassette. Musically, Tulus do not stray from their established path. The album is still built on mid-paced, crushing black […]
Ambitious from the start, the conspiracy-theory obsessives were always going to have to move on from their early days of excess. This is how they did it
The Barfly is officially back, returning to Camden’s high street after a decade, and kicking off another special chapter in the capital’s live music history.
The venue that has played host to everyone from Twenty One Pilots to The 1975, My Chemical Romance to The Cure, became the Camden Assembly back in 2016. But under new ownership the venue is returning to its roots, and kicking off with a special launch party on June 22.
And there are few more fitting artists to signal its return than Frank Turner, who played the venue as his first ever show with his old band Million Dead 25 years ago. Now coming back to ring in a new chapter, it is set to be a celebratory, intimate and emotional affair.
You can sign up for the chance to get tickets from right here.
