Artist Spotlights: Magnolia Park Shows Off What’s In Store For the Future of Pop Punk
Get your Hot Topic gift cards ready! These pop punk Floridians are combining the nostalgic sound of the 2000s with angry vocals, heavy instrumentals, and unforgettable lyrics that will have you scouring the back of your closet for those beat up checkerboard Vans.
Artist Spotlights introduces you to small artists that may not be on your radar yet, but should be. With recently cancelled tours and income loss for small artists, there’s no time like the present to find new talent to support.
Written by Miranda Garza
Photo courtesy of Jessica Griffith
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Pop punk, a genre defined by choppy tempos, memorable guitar riffs, anti-suburbia ethos, and anti-authority lyrics, was at its peak during the early 2010s. Contrary to what some may say, pop punk is alive and well in 2021, and groups like Magnolia Park are making sure it stays that way. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Magnolia Park is a pop punk five-piece consisting of lead vocalist Joshua Roberts, guitarists Tristan Torres and Freddie Criales, bassist Jared Kay, and drummer Joe Horsham.
In recent years, experimental sounds and more personal lyrics have dominated the pop punk scene. While staying true to the genere's roots, the members of Magnolia Park bring their own twist to the table with louder, angrier vocals and a fusion of genres ranging from hip-hop and emo to hardcore and alt rock.
Magnolia Park’s latest EP, Dream Eater, is a powerful collection of songs, complete with vocals and cutting-edge melodies more intense than the last. Opening track “Love Me” features Sleeping With Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn, whom the band was a long-time fan of before the collaboration. The surrealist feeling of working with one's musical inspirations is front and center throughout the track, making way for an enigmatic atmosphere in the song's three-minute glory. "Love Me" chronicles the tribulations of a toxic relationship and features a simple, chugging riff in the verses that crescendos into a wall of sound and emotion during the chorus. “Singing,” Dream Eater's concluding track, reveals a temporarily mellow side of Magnolia Park, and features harmonious piano keys, quickly contrasted with spontaneous guitar shreds and harsh rhythms. The song is a nod to perseverance and speaks directly to the audience with lyrical optimism:“This song will be played in front of all of you / Now for joy, instead of pain, from this will grow too / For those with a heart that’s been broken in two / We’ll help each other sing.”
Among the band’s colorful EP are a number of collaborative gems that complement Magnolia Park’s musical range. The band trades in its speedy shredding tempos for slow acoustic strings in “Sunburst,” where Roberts sings about a budding romance alongside pop rock group glimmers. Taking a turn for the angsty, “Back on My Bullshit” features a verse from rapper iamjakehill that incorporates trap beats and melodies into the brutally honest frustrations of failure. The band also joined forces with Broadside's Oliver Baxxter in “TDH2S” where Roberts and Baxxter optimistically sing against feelings of hopelessness.
Candid to their core, Magnolia Park perfectly emulates the hardships of mental illness with truthful and relatable lyricism, especially amid the growth of advocacy for mental health awareness. The group takes the taboo topic and normalizes it in a way that validates what some fans may think and feel, bringing a sense of inclusivity to its music. The lyrics of Magnolia Park’s 2020 single “Outside” chronicle suppressing the way one feels while trying to keep up appearances and act like everything is fine. The band’s top track on Spotify, “Sick Of It All,'' uses unflinching lyrics to bring to life the haunting effects of depression:
Spending most
Days in my head
Can’t find the strength To get out of bed
Suffocating in my shame instead
These are the reasons
I wish I was dead
The emotions of Magnolia Park are not only found within its lyrics, but also in the band's sound. In every song, each instrument is played to its fullest potential and every note is evident of feeling. Torres' and Criales' guitar riffs are compelling and incendiary, full of positively ear-splitting anger that mirrors the intense rage of Horsham's drums, just like a punch to the gut. Kay's muddy bass lines resound with longing, while Roberts' charged vocals toe the line between soft and shouting. Together, each member rounds out and deepens the emotive range of Magnolia Park.
Motivated and unafraid, Magnolia Park have taken to social media to express their beliefs on social issues, along with their immense support for other underground bands mostly comprised of people of color. Magnolia Park's eagerness for inclusivity is exactly what the second wave of pop punk needs to be: a safe haven for diverse artists and listeners to bond over their love for the genre. The band's activism goes beyond promoting representation in the music industry, with members advocating for mental health awareness and Black and transgender rights while encouraging fans to get involved with various civil rights organizations.
Magnolia Park is one of many bands taking part in the recent resurgence of pop punk music, yet its frank personality and provocative instrumentals set the group apart. Its sound is a perfect fit for the next traveling music festival that dares to replace the ghost of Warped Tour’s past. As they await their debut tour, the pop-punkers are more ready than ever to share their cultivated sound with the world.