Against Me! aren't the first band to mix third-wave American punk with Springsteen populism, but they might be the most successful: After all, their New Wave LP broke through beyond the borders of Alternative Press readers and dorks with hot-red angular haircuts. The band's White Crosses is probably one of the year's most anticipated rock albums, and the album's first single, "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" just got a police-beating centric video.
The song captures the feeling of being a 35-year-old punk, wanting to recapture the feelings you had when you wore Anarchy patches with sincerity. I'll say this: At least it's not a concept album about how Bush was bad for America (which is what Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown could essentially be broken down to).
White Crosses is due out on June 8.
