Alright, alright, alright. Rise and shine —  another week, another Take 5. Pandemic goes on, and the new music keeps coming, too. Last week was the first traditional Take 5 in a while, and this week we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming, so to speak.

But who cares for these intros, anyway, right? Let’s just dive in and let the music speak for itself — or however that cliche goes.

Seaway – “Wild Things”

Two singles in, and it’s clear that Seaway means business with their new record, Big Vibe. We’ve got about a month until the album is released (October 16th via Pure Noise Records), and we’re already counting down. “Wild Things” was released last week and is an example of how a pop-punk band can grow and evolve without losing their edge. This isn’t the same Seaway that we were all introduced to almost ten years ago, and it’s not even the same Seaway we knew on Vacation. That’s not a bad thing — listen to “Wild Things” and count down to October 16th with us.

Young Culture – “Better Off As Friends“

Speaking of bands evolving, here’s Young Culture. I first got introduced to Young Culture in 2018 with “Drift,” and I’ve been eagerly waiting for their debut album ever since. “Better Off As Friends” is a snapshot of what to expect on their self-titled debut, also out on October 16th (shaping up to be a great day, huh?). Littered with relatable lyrics on knowing when to let go, and backed by a pop-rock hook for the ages, “Better Off As Friends” is more than worthy of a listen.

beabadoobee – “Worth It“

Now, beabadoobee probably won’t read this. They don’t need our promotion or inclusion in this piece, but luckily, this isn’t a piece for artists — it’s a piece for you, the listener. While beabadoobee has an astonishing amount of monthly listeners on Spotify — 20 (!!!) million plus and counting — I still encounter a few folks who aren’t familiar. Well, there’s no better single than “Worth It” to get yourself acquainted with the rising star. “Worth It” is a shell-shock in ways, vastly different than what they’ve released so far, turning up the indie-rock guitars and almost letting them lead the way. As the kids say, it’s a bop. Listen and thank me later.

Wallows – “Nobody Gets Me (Like You)“

What else can you say about Wallows, really. A band that makes solid indie-rock music, and somehow music that manages to translate better live. “Nobody Gets Me (Like You)” will surely be another fine example of this — and if you’ve liked previous music from Wallows, you’ll like this one. It doesn’t necessarily add to their sound a whole lot, but that’s OK from time to time, and with this song it works perfectly. Their new EP, Remote, will be out on October 23rd via Atlantic Records.

All Time Low – “Monsters (feat. blackbear)”

Is this cheating? Maybe it’s cheating — but our house, our rules, baby. “Monsters” has been out since April, but today it just went #1 on modern rock radio — All Time Low’s first single to do so — so fuck it, we’re celebrating. Cheers and congrats to the boys.