3 Dollars (emo-punk), Cloned Apparition (nu grunge/alt), Stab (melodic hardcore)

When asked to describe themselves, the members of 3 Dollars instantly share “scrappy, youthful and hungry.” Though still young themselves, most of the members began playing music before the age of 10, with Ben, the youngest, starting drums at 4 years old. The Hoboken, New Jersey based band started in high school writing melancholic emo-punk tracks and playing any show they were offered, from the infamous underground Meatlocker to community fairs. Releasing five singles since forming in 2022, they did things the tried and true way of building a local following, before tracks like “The Last Thing I Remember” and “Like I Said I Would (Dylan’s Song)” started to gain national notice. 3 Dollars recently opened shows for Quicksand, 7 Seconds and even found a fan in Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, who shares; "They already have an identifiable point of view and approach to the arrangements and sonics feel earned in a way it takes most bands a lot longer to find.”

Now, 3 Dollars’ hard work and emotional sound have earned them a spot in the Smartpunk Records roster (Gully Boys, Keep Flying, Somerset Thrower), who will release the band's debut EP, Plus Tax, on July 10th. The five track EP balances adolescence and nostalgia, built through sharp melodies, hooky riffs, and raw emotion. Pulling influence from acts like Title Fight, The Replacements, and Anxious, 3 Dollars have created a post-emo punk sound that lends to the new generation of New Jersey bands. EP opener “Nauseous” bursts with adrenaline and reflection, while lead single "Suppressed Memories” carries weighty rhythms and connective lyrics. The EP was recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Connor Priest at Timber Studios (Alex G, Tonks).

With the release of 3 Dollars’ Plus Tax, the band are setting out to make a lasting impression in what is sure to be the start of something bigger than their high school selves had imagined.

Cloned Apparition - Parallel to the Sun LP out July 17th on Static Era Records

Next Single: July 7th - “Let Me” (video advance)

Montreal-based alternative rock band Cloned Apparition mark their return with a refreshed line up and announcement of their first full-length, Parallel with the Sun, out July 17th on Static Era Records. The band conjures up eight tracks that swirl through a high-energy combination of grunge, shoegaze, and nu-metal leaning sounds. Influence from bands like Helmet, Only Living Witness, and Hum comes through, while fitting right alongside contemporaries such as Bleed, Money, and Soul Blind.

The band share:

“The overarching theme of the album revolves around things changing around you as you grow older. We started the band at 22 years old and are now 26-27 years old. We lost people we loved in that time, we grew as people, and things changed around us. This record’s themes revolves around wanting to hold on to the past while having to come to terms that things are moving forward no matter what.”

Formed in 2021 by guitarist Alec Turcot, drummer Tehotsenhàthe “T” Lazare, and bassist Adam Setiawan, Turcot now moves to lead vocalist for the band and they welcome in Dewayne Shanks (also of Botfly) on guitar.

Maxime Lajoie from Spite House and Gold Lion Studios engineered the album.

Based in New England, STAB are crafting punchy melodic hardcore that beckons on nostalgia. Recently formed in the summer of 2025, the band members are no strangers to the hardcore scene. Born out of a desire to just have fun playing shows, members Nik Coggins, Matt March, Joe Bradshaw, Griffin Kronemer, and Jeremy Breau drew on their collective experience in bands like Gumskab, Cruel Hand, Hard Cah, and Absolute Suffering, just to name a few.

Having already booked shows before a single song was released, STAB got to work — writing, recording, and self-releasing their first demo just two weeks after coming together. Both lyrically and musically, the goal was to feel authentically New England. Drawing influence from Have Heart, Verse, American Nightmare, and Bane, while tipping their hats to the bands that soundtracked their youth — The Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Bad Religion, and Hot Water Music. Vocalist Nik Coggins' lyrics capture that perfectly, covering themes like addiction, finding peace in solitude, falling in love, and the loss of loved ones.

Since forming, STAB has been relentlessly playing shows across New England, sharing the stage with Death Before Dishonor, The Banner, Skinhead, Energy, Cosmic Joke, and End It. Their live show is exactly what you'd expect: stage dives, pile-ons, and sing-alongs from start to finish.

Now STAB is bringing that same energy to Unbeaten Records with their debut album Lost in Maine out July 24th. Recorded and produced by Evan Sammons in Belgrade, Maine in January 2025, the album captures the same New England drear it was created in without losing any of the unrelenting energy of the demo. Drawing on more melodic influences — The Carrier, Drug

Church, Title Fight — and featuring additional vocals from Mat Kerekes (Citizen) and Josh Hynes (Recollection, Rude Awakening, Hammer Bros.), Lost in Maine is STAB hitting their stride.