College Radio Makes Throwback Emo Pop-Punk Fresh On “Survival Guide”

It’s 2022. I just wanted to remind you of that from the jump, since most of the tracks we’ve been reviewing lately all sound straight out of 2007. The latest from College Radio is another in a long line of tracks cashing in on the emo and pop-punk nostalgia train. This one, however, is actually worth the listen. “Survival Guide” marks the bands’ first release of 2022 following a slew of singles throughout last year and the bands’ first EP, I Used to Get Messed Up, in late 2020.

Musically, it’s pretty pedestrian stuff all the way through, these guys aren’t breaking any new ground here. However it is catchy as hell, and we will give credit to College Radio’s vocalist “Gordon” for not leaning into the “vyoce inside my yed”ing of most modern pop-punk singers. Instead, his vocals tend more to the raspier, huskier side of the genre, conjuring up comparisons to Motion City Soundtrack or Say Anything.

According to the band, “‘Survival Guide’ is a step-by-step instructional guide for making it through another horrible day of work, by way of a bouncy riff and a catchy hook,” says Evan, the band’s bassist and co-vocalist. “We put Green Day, Motion City Soundtrack, and Weezer in a blender, added a pinch of anxiety, and this is what we came up with.” I don’t hear the Green Day, but a mash-up of Motion City and Weezer will definitely get you close to what these West Coast Americans are cooking up.

Along with the single, the band is releasing a music video for the song. “The video highlights some of the almost-Kafka-esque dehumanization that’s become par for the course in retail work,” says Evan. “It can be hard to make existential nihilism seem fun, but I think we nailed it with this one.”

Listen to “Survival Guide” on SPOTIFY or watch the video on YouTube below: