Interview and Photos by Jordan Edwards

Today, LiL Lotus released the deluxe version of his sophomore album nosebleeder. It features acoustic versions of standout tracks including "blame me for everything" with Mod Sun, as well as a cover of Lil Uzi Vert's "Grab the Wheel."

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Jared Pearson/Courtesy of the Artist

Although he found early success as a rapper, Travis Mills always liked the idea of being in a band. He grew up admiring blink-182, MxPx, and The Used. Early groups didn't work out for various reasons, and he found solo success with tracks like "Diemonds" and "Young & Stupid."

In drummer Nick Gross, Mills found a musical partner with the drive to make their band a success. Together as girlfriends, the duo has embraced the music that shaped their youth. They enlisted producer John Feldmann, the Dr. Dre of pop punk, to complete their sound. Over two albums and an EP, they've created anthems that sound like artifacts of the early 2000s, rather than recreations of TRL rock.

Released this week, "shut & kiss me" sounds like it could have been on the Road Trip soundtrack. It's the first new music for the band since the EP Over My Dead Body last May.

The partnership has not only allowed them to make music they love; it's given them an opportunity to play and record with some of their favorite artists. This summer, girlfriends will join Avril Lavigne on her North American tour.

Watch Mills and Gross talk to Jordan Edwards about their experience with girlfriends, touring with Lavigne, and making music at The Noise Nest.

girlfriends (Travis Mills and Nick Gross) | It's Real with Jordan and DemiTravis Mills and Nick Gross talk to Jordan Edwards about their band girlfriends and touring with Avril Lavigne.


girlfriends Tour Dates with Avril Lavigne

Wed Aug 14 — Ottawa, ON — Canadian Tire Centre
Fri Aug 16 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
Tue Aug 20 — Buffalo, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater
Wed Aug 21 — Hartford, CT — The XFINITY Theatre
Fri Aug 23 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat Aug 24 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center
Tue Aug 27 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Thu Aug 29 — Camden, NJ — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Sat Aug 31 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live
Sun Sep 01 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
Tue Sep 03 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Wed Sep 04 — Nashville, TN — Ascend Amphitheater
Fri Sep 06 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center
Sat Sep 07 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
Mon Sep 09 — Milwaukee, WI — American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Tue Sep 10 — Chicago, IL — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Thu Sep 12 — Minneapolis, MN — The Armory
Sat Sept 14 — Winnipeg, MB — Canada Life Centre

For more from girlfriends, follow them on Instagram and TikTok.

Music Features

WATCH: Why Yellowcard Reunited and Recorded a New EP

The Band is scheduled to play the When We Were Young festival on October 21.

Acacia Evans/Courtesy of the Artist

This past summer, Yellowcard reunited and performed dozens of shows at large venues across the country. They also released their first new music since 2016.

The EP Childhood Eyes returns to the sound that made them popular, but the songwriting reflects their maturity and sense of nostalgia. It includes collaborations with Dashboard Confessional and Pierce The Veil, as well as the lead single "Childhood Eyes."

The reunion coincides with the recent pop punk renaissance as younger bands reach back for those Y2K power chords and hooks. Yellowcard is enjoying the ride. An appearance at When We Were Young on Oct. 21 is the only thing currently on the band's calendar, but fans should feel optimistic about future shows.

Will there be any more new music? Although there are no plans for a new album, a statement on the band's Instagram says, "The future is bright. We clearly have so much more to do."

Watch frontman Ryan Key talk to Jordan Edwards and Demi Ramos about the reunion, making the EP, and the story behind "Ocean Avenue."

Yellowcard's Ryan Key | It's Real with Jordan and Demi


For more from Yellowcard, follow them on Instagram and TikTok.

Interviews

WATCH: MxPx on Their Latest Album and Three Decades of Punk Rock

Mike Herrera and Tom Wisniewski join Jordan and Demi

Joshua Shultz/Courtesy of the Artist
After 30 years together, MxPx remains one of the best and hardest working bands out there. They recently released their 11th studio album Find A Way Home. Anchored by "Not Today," and "Stay Up All Night," it's full of the catchy rock songs that fans love.

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Music Features

9 Great Rock Albums For Summertime

Summertime is finally upon us. Here are some records to help you rock out.

Yellowcard

getty

Summertime is finally upon us.

Whether we want to admit it or not, this summer is going to be different than any summer that's come before. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic near, people are heading outside, plans are being made, and trips are being taken. It will no doubt be busy and all consuming. Chances are last summer was not like this for you, and instead of listening to the albums below, you were stuck listening to yearning music about how you felt trapped or caged in.

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7 Black Alternative Bands to Listen to After Willow Smith’s “Transparent Soul”

"Transparent Soul" is a full teen-angst banger, the stuff of our adolescent dreams. With the new single, Willow Smith joins the ranks of Black pop punk/alternative artists changing the genre for the better.

Willow in Transparent Soul

via WillowSmithVEVO

Willow Smith just released her new single, "Transparent Soul," and it's an alt-rock, pop-punk influenced banger.

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