Review by Dom Vigil
Since 2000, the Fearless Records Punk Goes… compilation series has been bringing the “punk” (and emo, screamo, metalcore, pop-punk, etc…) scene a wide variety of cover albums, ranging from the well-known Punk Goes Pop to Punk Goes Christmas and the hilarious 2008 release, Punk Goes Crunk. And while a lot has changed in the alternative music scene since 2000, it’s a relief that Punk Goes… is seemingly here to stay. This time around, Fearless Records has released the third installment of the Punk Goes Acoustic series, twelve years after Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 2, and it’s safe to say that they’re playing off of the nostalgia of the 2007 release – and it’s perfect.
With the Vans Warped Tour officially coming to an end this year, there will certainly be a hole in the music scene where it used to be, but for the time being, Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3 is a perfect place filler. Not only will the Punk Goes… website take you back to the early 2000’s (the site is designed to look exactly like an old Myspace page) but the track listing alone on this compilation is heavy on the nostalgia. With acoustic renditions of Taking Back Sunday’s “A Decade Under The Influence,” Dashboard Confessional’s “Screaming Infidelities,” Underoath’s “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White” and more, Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3 will make you want to rearrange your top 8 and change your AIM away message to some vague, emo song lyrics.
But Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3 isn’t just riding the wave of nostalgia, either. Alongside the classic “Emo Nite” tracks, bands like Don Broco, Movements, As It Is and Set It Off are reworking some of the fan-favorite tracks, too. Just like Warped Tour did in its heyday, Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3 does a fantastic job of balancing out the scene’s heavy-hitters with some up-and-coming artists that you either already love, or are going to fall in love with by the time the twelve-song album comes to an end.
Easily one of the best releases in the Punk Goes… series, Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3 was well worth the wait. Now hopefully, it doesn’t take another twelve years to drop Vol. 4, because I personally cannot wait for more.