Curious what notable personalities in the scene think was great this year? So is TGEFM! So we reached out to some of our favorite luminaries ranging from musicians, label personnel, and more for their “Best of 2024” lists. Now, listen: TGEFM is not a taskmistress. Contributors can write these out however they want. So if it doesn’t actually look or read like a list… and sometimes it really is just a list with no other observations! Who cares?
The self-proclaimed “Party Band for the Dystopia” Upset Boy and the Queens dropped the double A-Side: “Trying To Get To You/Think Too Much” this Summer. Now, the grungy Nashville trio are sharing their local favorites with TGEFM as part of our year-end round-ups.
Friends and TGEFM readers, it’s time to say goodbye to 2024. Good riddance!
Hi, I’m Chris Watts (no, not THAT Chris Watts) and I front an alt rock power-trio in Nashville (yes, THAT Nashville) called Upset Boy and the Queens.
Nashville may evoke heinous images of bachelorettes and pedal taverns. Maybe you think about the manufactured pop country from Music Row, or the self-seriousness of the bloated singer-songwriter and Americana scene.
Maybe you don’t think anything at all. But as a 12-year resident I can tell you our scene has a lot more to offer, and 2024 was a huge year for punk, punk adjacent, and everything else!}
I should know, I’ve had a lot of free time to listen.
Back in June I was diagnosed with nodules and hemorrhaging on my vocal cords. Upset Boy and the Queens had been a band for around 8 months and we just partnered with Sweet Cheetah Records for the release of our first single.
As a full-time musician playing downtown Nashville to pay the bills, I was forced to cut back work. On Friday, August 17, I was told the hemorrhaging had worsened and the nodules had become polyps. I was ordered to go on immediate vocal- the day of our single release and release show.
Now for some good news.
I’m typing this on December 14. I’ve been cleared by the doctors to sing. Our debut singles “Trying To Get To You” and “Think Too Much” are out on Sweet Cheetah Records, you can stream them anywhere.
And now I work at the Meinl drum warehouse in Nashville, where I have plenty of time to listen to music while I work.
So in an effort to shine light on some rad music coming from our local DIY scene (and differentiate from the same tired year-end lists), here are my favorite punk, punk adjacent, and everything else Nashville releases of 2024.
Let’s crank these tunes and kick 2024’s ass to the curb. I hope you find something you like, and I hope you thrive in 2025. Cheers!
Chris
Herly Berly – “H8” (single)
Vera Bloom – “Bohemian Junk” (single)
Wesley and the Boys – Internet Punk (EP)
Budge – hrtstrngs (EP)
Gloom Girl MFG – Polycrisis (EP)
Twen – Infinite Sky (EP)
Hans Condor – Big Breakfast (LP)
Palm Ghosts – Facades (LP)
The Weird Sisters – WHO ARE THE WEIRD SISTERS? (LP)
The Sleeveens – The Sleeveens (LP)
Upset Boy and the Queens – Sweet Cheetah Double A-Side (single)
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
