PopRocks

Prairie Fire is a rock band from Long Island, NY. They released their debut EP Studies and Observations earlier this year. The first track on the EP, King Bee, can also be found featured on Spotify’s emo right now playlist. Check out our full interview to learn more about Prairie Fire!

The Frst is a Nashville-based rock project fronted by singer and guitarist Mikei Gray. I got to chat with Mikei about how The Frst was formed, as well as some of the singles they’ve released this year including Bruce Lee, Murderabilia, and most recently, their latest single Big Shot. Follow: INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | SPOTIFY

A choir boy gone rogue, Fox Revett is a fast rising LGBT singer and music producer. His upbringing in classical music, coupled with his deep admiration for singer-songwriters, sets him apart as a pop musician. Since his debut in the fall he has been profiled by GRINDR, produced a viral hit song for RuPaul’s Drag Race, wrapped production on his debut mixtape, and most recently produced the album for famed Canadian drag artist, Lemon.  Follow Fox Revett: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | YOUTUBE

The new season of PopRocks is here babyyyyyy! New look, new interviews, new vibes. I'm so excited to announce that the next season starts on Tuesday, September 26! A huge thank you to our friend Sal Mastrocola for the new logo!

Today we have Brooklyn-based synth-pop artist Nick Throop! In addition to his multiple music projects and writing for TV and media, two of his songs “Shame” and “Child’s Play” were recently featured on the second season of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia!

New Friends is an alt-pop band composed of members Cole, Stefan, Conrad, and Ayden. The band met in college and starting workeing on demos in their dorm rooms. Soon after, the band scored themselves a hit single with their debut Purple Candy in 2019. New Friends released their debut album The Pilot in 2022, and are currently preparing for the release of their forthcoming EP “Camaro.” I caught up with the guys from New Friends to learn more about their early days, the success of Purple Candy, and what we can expect from their new music! Also make sure to stick around for the end to hear our game “Name That New Friend”

Highwind is the pop-rock passion project of New Jersey singer-songwriter, Chris Russo and drummer, Dan Smith. Highwind’s aim as a pop-rock act is to tell an honest, relatable story by means of catchy hooks, colorful guitar parts, and infectious rhythms. I talked with Chris about how he started Highwind, his latest singles, playing shows, and what we can expect to hear from them next!

Jake Brewer is a singer/songwriter based in New York, whose latest album "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" launched the young creator into a new era of indie, bedroom pop. The Seattle-native is a recent TedX speaker, founder of FRNDLY Media, host of the Groundbreaking podcast, all while selling out shows across the US since 2018. I chatted with Jake about the inspiration behind his debut album and preparing for his music festival FRNDLY Fest.

Sisters Bailee and Kenzie Eaglin make up the newest pop-rock duo Eaglin. Their Denton hometown inspired an ambitious collaboration of growing up and personal musical influences. The duo released their self-titled debut EP Eaglin in the summer of 2021, featuring a breakthrough collaboration of nostalgia and modern indie pop-rock, led by the infectious Brooklyn-inspired anthem, “Twenty-Three.” I got to chat with Eaglin in early 2022 to learn more about their debut EP!

Saint Slumber consists of vocalist Josh Perna, guitarist Aaron Brown, and drummer Stephan Stanzione. I had Josh on the show back in October of 2018 to talk about their YOUTH// trilogy. Since then, Saint Slumber has garnered even more attention and success. During the pandemic, Saint Slumber premiered their darker and more complex sound with their fourth EP cycle, how to lose your self, opening the band up to millions of new fans with singles such as “peachy” and “Guillotine”. I caught up with Josh back in early 2021 to talk about the success of “how to lose yourself” and what we can expect in the future!

Pollyanna is a four piece New Jersey band consisting of power-pop, loud rock, bubble grunge, and punk influences. Earlier this year, they released a deluxe edition of their EP Sugar Coat with a fresh perspective under their new label, I Surrender Records. We caught up to chat about how Jill and Dan met when they were in just first grade, to starting a band at 13, to their most recent success. Since this interview, they released their latest single “Slut” off their debut full length album called “Slime” out on June 17.  Follow Pollyanna: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify Follow PopRocks: Instagram | Twitter | Website | Podcast

L E A is an LA-based alternative pop artist who has intertwined the boldness of punk with the beachiness of pop. Inspired by artists such as Mayday Parade, Charlotte Sands, Secondhand Serenade, L E A considers her sound colorful, extroverted, aggressive, and blunt. I talked with L E A about her experience of growing up in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, moving to LA, and how that inspired her debut EP “Jersey Boy” Follow L E A: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

LiL MiK_e is a Phoenix-based pop-punk artist who brings a fresh new sound to the alternative scene. His debut album “Memories” was released in December of 2019, and led to collectively over 2 million streams on Spotify. Last month, LiL MiK_e released his sophomore album, Sellout. This album is about him leaving his old self behind and evolving into his new self and new sound. We caught up with LiL MiK_e to talk about both of these albums and the new music we’ll hear from him this year.  Follow LiL MiK_e: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

Range Life is the passion project of seasoned New Jersey musician Mike Chiarappa. Mike released his debut full length album in October called “when it all gets old”. The album’s themes span from fun songs about drinking beer to songs about friends dealing with addiction. I first met Mike years ago with his band The Stolen, and I was happy I was able to catch up with him again before his show in Brooklyn. Follow Range Life Follow PopRocks

Courtney Govan is a queer independent pop singer from San Diego, California. Courtney is known for her first hit single “Serotonin” that went viral on tiktok and landed her on Spotify Editorial playlists like Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds: Pop. Courtney uses her own life experiences to connect with her listeners on a deeper level. She uses her music as a way to lift up the voices of those who feel unheard and unseen. Her humanistic and introspective approach to songwriting brings a refreshing twist to today’s pop music. Courtney’s ultimate goal in her career is to help everyone who comes across her music to feel, seen, safe, and unstoppable in the skin they are in. We chatted about “Serotonin”, her single “Mistake”, and also the viral video on TikTok of the two of us!

We chatted with KTJ & CARLY, a duo, who write, produce, and perform all their music. They frequently combine influences of EDM and soulful pop into masterful storytelling performances. Over the past year, they've experienced incredible growth off the success of their debut EP, "Identity." We got to talk about their song "Rollercoaster," where we see a different, softer side of KTJ & CARLY. Deeply emotional and mature, the track explores the intense ups and downs of loving someone unconditionally, despite the damage they might do to you in the long run. They also perform "Rollercoaster" live on air! Follow KTJ & Carly: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

Start the Week Over is a New York based power-pop band. Formed in the spring of 2019, friends Bobby Gioiosa (vocals, guitar), Matt Wikstrom (guitar, keys), Stephen Sorris (drums), Cooper Gould (guitar, keys, mandolin), and Amanda Pasqualini (bass) started to write songs and play open mics while growing their local following. In March of 2020, STWO released their debut “Wonderland EP”, blending their punk roots with well-crafted pop-rock ambitions. The band was separated during the pandemic, but continued to write and record new music over Discord. They kicked off 2021 with the release of “Up Tonight,” “Keepaway,” “Sex In Berlin,” and their upcoming single “Losing Control”

Brooklyn-based indie dance duo Supertaste is comprised of DJ’s Hundreds Thousands and Slug Father. When the pandemic hit, the guys decided that when all else fails, head into the woods to make a disco record. Supertaste packed up their Brooklyn recording studio and road tripped to a cabin in Bristol, Tennessee, to produce their Super Classic EP, which they described as 'Bon Iver, but make it disco.’ We talked with them about this experience and what we can expect to hear on their forthcoming sophomore EP, Super Classic. For more episodes, check out our website www.poprocksbk.com/

Gatlin is an indie pop singer-songwriter who combines instinctual humanity with daring vulnerability to craft musical moments of meaning and melody. Gatlin’s music brims with confessional lyricism and emotional storytelling. Her debut EP Sugarcoated is one of my personal favorite releases from 2020. I was able to catch up with Gatlin to talk about her writing process for this EP and some of the inspirations behind her songs. Gatlin also shared about what we can expect from her new music, starting with the release of her upcoming single “What If I Love You” out April 8. Check out our website for more https://www.poprocksbk.com/ Artwork by Kim Kyne Theme by Nick Throop Background music: Gatlin - Talking to Myself

Lisa Remar is a New York City native who has always loved music. Her passion for song-writing, producing and singing lives in her songs. Characterized by her soulful vocals and her unique sonic sensibility - Lisa’s music takes the listener to a familiar place they’ve never been before. Similar to her music, Lisa’s style also draws influence from various backgrounds, and is representative of her biracial heritage. We caught up with Lisa to chat about her new EP “Still Good” and she also performed two songs live on air. Check out poprocksbk.com for more!