The next PropertyOfZack Playlist in our ongoing series features Silverstein and Hawthorne Heights. Both bands are out on separate tours right now and are supporting new releases. Check out the Playlists and listen to the songs while reading everyone’s thoughts!

(Click on image to listen in Spotify)
Balance and Composure - I Tore You Apart In My Head
Handguns - A Year In Review
Title Fight - Flood Of ‘72
Into It. Over It. - Descretion & Depressing People
Man Overboard - Real Talk
Make Do And Mend - Oak Square
Forever Came Calling - Front Porch Sunrise
We Are The Union - We’re All Dead
Daytrader - Kill My Compass
A Loss For Words - No Sanctuary

We have been Hawthorne Heights since 2003, seeing bands come and go all of the time. I feel that we were very lucky growing up in the days of basement shows and just having a good time with your friends. Meeting new interesting people with similar interests along the way. Music that meant something. No one dressed cool, because no one was cool. That just didn’t matter. Now, this concept of music with a meaning is coming back. And I’m so thankful that it has. I thought I was just jaded because I wasn’t hearing any new music for quite some time that clicked with me. I guess I never will understand how adding a keyboard, or a stupid vocal effect, can start a new style of music. Then my friend Poppy told me about some of the bands listed above and changed my view of new music entirely. I was hesitant to even give it a chance due to my outlook on anything new. And was blown away. This is real music, with real passion, with no bullshit attached to it. Kids going to shows. Kids playing shows. Kids having fun with their friends at shows. It’s an amazing thing to see these bands getting more notoriety. It makes me happy to think that people are finally realizing what is important in all of this. Real music. - Matt Ridenour

(Click on image to listen in Spotify)
I Break Horses - Hearts
I stumbled upon this band by accident and have probably listened to their
record more than most others over the past few months. It’s the sort of
album that ends and makes you want to start it all over again. It’s noisy,
poppy, and sounds like modern electronic-shoegaze.
John Maus - Believer
There’s one word to sum up John Maus’ “We Must Become the Pitiless Censors
of Ourselves” album and his live show, Commanding. At the centre of each
song is pop-sensibility but saturated in reverb-drenched vocals that make
this album feel like a thousand feet wide.
Kavinsky - Night Call *Song is currently not on Spotify
I didn’t discover this song until I saw the movie, “Drive”. At first it
didn’t even strike me as Kavinsky, (who I have been a fan of with his
earlier EPs) since it features Lovefoxxx from CSS on vocals. The whole
aesthetic behind Kavinsky is enticing for me and was an absolute match for
the premise of the movie.
Ringo Deathstarr - Kaleidoscope
This band is nothing new, they don’t sound like anything fresh and they
aren’t breaking new musical ground. What they are doing is perfectly
emulating some of the best shoegaze/noise-rock that ever existed. This
track, and all others from their album “Colour Trip” could easily stand-up
next to any previous My Bloody Valentine or Jesus And Mary Chain track.Tycho - Hours
This was a band I found while blog surfing to discover new music. After
hearing them for the first time, I was blown away and patiently waited for
their full length to be released. Their album features no vocals, but the
spatial sonic landscapes, rich beats and beautiful orchestration keeps it
interesting and fun. If you liked Boards of Canada, give this a listen.
Cloud Nothings - Fall In
Out of my mixtape selections, this is the most recent track. It’s quick,
catchy and noisy. I’d say this band falls between Nirvana and Waaves, old
meets new. Garage Rock with a modern spin on it. No wonder Steve Albini
produced this record.
The Radio Dept. - Pulling Our Weight
This is an older track, but definitely my favourite song by this band.
Having only listened to them in passing, my wife discovered this song and
ended up playing on repeat about a dozen times. We fell in love with their
entire discography and ended up seeing them live twice. This track captures
their softness and darkness that keeps you coming back for more.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round *Song is currently not on Spotify
Clocking in just over 5 minutes, this song has so many elements to it that
it never gets boring. This whole record is fantastic (Before Today) and
continually gets played. The whole recording sounds unique since you can’t
tell if it was recorded recently or many years ago. Perfect blend of modern
pop with old school tones.
Cold Cave - Underworld USA
Being a huge fan of American Nightmare while I was growing up, it took me a
while to give Cold Cave a chance. I’ll admit that it took some time to
appreciate it, but now I consider myself a true fan. The whole new record
is great, but this is my favourite track. It has a catchy rhythm and chorus
that gets stuck in your head for hours.
The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
I’m a fan of bands like Passion Pit and Starfucker, who both put out great
albums of consistent pop music. The Naked And Famous certainly channel
similar influences but their record has a lot more variation than either of
those other bands. This track in particular is the most straight-ahead but
one of the best. - Paul Koehler