It’s clear enough that pop-punk is having a moment right now. With bands like The Wonder Years, The Story So Far and Real Friends carrying the torch for the new school of the genre, there’s plenty to be excited about. And now it’s time to add Chicago’s Knuckle Puck to that list.

The quintet is based out of Chicago’s south suburbs, and within just two short years of their debut EP, they’ve gone from playing dirty basements to opening for nationwide tours with acts like Man Overboard and Senses Fail. They also embarked on their own (sold out) co-headlining tour with the UK’s premier up-and-coming pop-punk act, Neck Deep.

Knuckle Puck’s style meshes pop-punk with the heart and soul of the Midwest, but they add in a more aggressive tone that serves reminiscence to acts like The Story So Far. As the genre is taking a more musically aggressive attitude as a whole, Knuckle Puck balance that aggression with youthful lyricism and genuine exuberance.

Vocalist Joe Taylor, guitarists Nick Casasanto and Kevin Maida, bassist Ryan Rumchaks and drummer John Siorek combine to present a style that actively acknowledges pop-punk’s roots while bringing it decidedly into the present. Their new EP, While I Stay Secluded–with the raw power of tracks like the instantly memorable “Oak Street”–provides only the latest reason to consider Knuckle Puck an integral part of pop-punk’s future.

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