“Kids are making pop punk again”. This assertion floods San Diego pop punk outfit Super Sometimes’s instagram page along with other demands and proclamations like “Bring back 2000’s pop punk” and “Pop punk is alive and well”. Bands that flood their social media with assurances that they are bringing back older styles of music are nothing new; however, what sets Super Sometimes apart from the rest of them is that they are well… actually doing it in a way that puts their own spin on the genre.
Pop punk at its core is a relatively simple genre: loud, power chord driven guitars, quick, boomy drums, and energetic and whiny vocals. With a genre of music that is at its core very simple, it can be difficult for bands to stand out and distinguish themselves as being unique, especially when decades of bands have already put their mark on it. However, Super Sometimes have already left their unique stamp on the genre despite only having released an EP, one compilation album, and one full-length album. The band broke into the mainstream with their viral success after releasing the song “Spork” in 2024. The song was full of the angsty pop punk energy that we all know and love, but the band’s heavy guitars, catchy melodies, and dynamic vocal sound between guitarists and vocalist Gabriel Muñoz and Dylan Guzman, in combination with the raw but still high quality production, made them stand out as something new and unique as opposed to the subtle Blink-182 or Green Day imitation of other young pop punk bands.
The band signed to the distinguished Pure Noise record label in August 2025 and released the compilation album From Then & Now. This release distinguished the band as not just one hit viral wonders, but genuine pop punk mainstays who have lots to say. Standout tracks include “Say Something Now”, “Losing this Game”, and the aforementioned “Spork”. The band released their debut full-length album this past May entitled Show the World What’s Underneath which builds off the sound and style from their previous release. The album demonstrates a developing maturity in the band from a musical and production standpoint. While not as fast paced or in-your-face as From Then & Now, the album still delivers on the motif that the band is heavily influenced by 2000’s music. And it does the trick, it’s a fun listen and it’s great to hear the band mature lyrically and musically by exploring other sounds under the umbrella of “2000’s pop punk”. The standout tracks on this album to me include: “Afterthought”, “Make Up Stories”, “See This Coming”, and the album’s title track.
Are they Green Day? No. Are they Blink-182? No. Super Sometimes are not trying to just be an imitation of the bands that came before them; they’re trying to take a genre that they, and so many others are nostalgic for, and put their own mark on it. Their sound is fun, their stage presence is fun, and their music reminds people of a time and era that was just fun. Super Sometimes just completed a North American tour opening for Arm’s Length, and are set to go on tour again in the fall in support of Boston Manor. But until then you can be certain that tracks from From then & Now and Show The World What’s Underneath will be blasting through skate parks across the country this summer.
