All Punked Up Presents: Song Secret Santa 2020

2020 has been everything short of normal but all of us here at All Punked Up wanted to keep it a little consistent by continuing our annual tradition of Song Secret Santa! We all were randomly gifted a song by another contributor to listen to and review! Check out our reactions below!

liarliar – happy.

“”liarliar” is a headbanging masterpiece from its catchy verses and chorus to its boppy, early 2000s beats. This song gives me heavy Bowling for Soup plus Jimmy Eat World plus Sum 41 (in the absolute best way). I love the build up and the smooth, soft rock guitar section that follows. “liarliar” gets me scream-singing, swaying, and head banging all in the same 3 minutes. I’ve always heard of Happy but never really gave them a listen before this. “liarliar” is definitely my favorite track by them, but I’m also really digging “Sick is the New Sane” and “Drowners.” I have one thing to say to my secret Santa: THANK YOU!” – Julia

*gifted bt Mackenzie

Glass Spiders – Hot Milk

“This is the first song I have heard by Hot Milk and was unsure what to expect. Man, can I tell you this song was amazing and gives you goosebumps. It truly gives you a deeper feeling of someone’s emotions. Talk about the perfect song for 2020, this song has officially been added to my playlist.” – Bree

*gifted by Evie

20/20 – Knuckle Puck

“I’m already a big fan of Knuckle Puck, so shout out to my secret Santa for gifting me with this banger. “20/20” was written pre-pandemic but the song feels very apt when you think about the year we’ve had. The first verse starts out with the lyrics, ‘I wake up every morning with this overwhelming sinking feeling, slipping through the doorframe, while bouncing thoughts against the ceiling’ – which really feels like a total 2020 mood! As the song progresses though, you can feel the positivity that Knuckle Puck are channelling – my favourite lyric is, ‘If it’s easier, then close your eyes but you know you could never see the light’. Knuckle Puck have put a little sunshine in “20/20″ and 2020!” – Evie

*gifted by Noah

Help Me Through The Night – Written By Wolves

“I actually stumbled upon Written by Wolves a few years back when their video for “To Tell You The Truth” showed up in my recommendations one day. I’m a real sucker for electronic rock as it combines two of my favorite genres and I was really impressed the track. The band had a really unique sound and planned on checking out more of their music. Despite my intentions, I haven’t kept up with the band’s career until now. “Help Me Through The Night” is a really good track. It’s got driving guitars, pounding drums, soaring vocals, and the synths and vocal chopping give the track an extra edge. Really interested in seeing what the band comes out with next.” – Ian

*gifted by Natalie

Give Yourself A Try – WSTR

“I really wanted to like this song because I’m a huge fan of The 1975’s version, but after giving it multiple listens I just can’t get behind it. I’ve never been a huge fan of the nasally vocals that some pop punk bands are known for and I personally didn’t think this song had any progression. It was very static musically throughout the entire thing; which is exactly what The 1975 did but I wanted them to make it their own and I didn’t hear that when listening to the track. This was the first time I had listened to WSTR and I’m sure they’re very talented, but this song just wasn’t for me. Even though I wasn’t a fan thank you to my secret Santa for recommending this song! I will be giving their other stuff a shot though before making a decision on my opinion of the band as a whole!” – Natalie

*gifted by John

Moving On – Leave It To Us

“My song was “Moving On” by Leave It To Us. As soon as the song started I had a moment of, “oh yea I’m gonna like this song”, and I did. This song is right up my alley of something I can jump around and sing to. It almost gives me a State Champs vibe, and I like that a lot. I’m really happy with this song, and if you’re looking for a new fun song I highly recommend this one!” – Nicole

*gifted by Julia

6/8 – blink-182

“Love the heavier intro that was not typical on this album. After marks first verse the chorus comes in and hits so hard making you want to listen to the chorus over and over. Matt screaming f*ck a personality after critics were saying he “lacked personality” on California is the best thing ever. I love the dark lyrics throughout the second verse that Mark sings it’s poetically dark and beautiful. After the second chorus, it slows down and goes into spoken word for a couple measures from Matt that goes into Matt singing a bridge that will give you goosebumps it’s so good. This track is one of the most mature ones on this album and shows that blink-182 is still capable of writing a dark sounding song while giving it a lot of replay power.” – Noah

*gifted by Bree

Pushing Daisies – Neck Deep

“I was super stoked to get this one because All Distortions Are Intentional is one of the albums that I had on repeat throughout the year. 
“Pushing Daises” is definitely a slower song melodically and different than what we know as a usual Neck Deep song. However, it still gives you the drums and guitars that we all know make a Neck Deep song. 
It also feels very Brit Pop, which I like. It reminds me a lot of an Oasis song, especially when they get to the instrumental before the bridge. Ben Barlow’s vocals though come through really well, and he sings in a way that is relaxing but also super raw and explores his range as a singer. Overall, I really like this song. It hits deep like “In Bloom” and it’s a good change up from the rest of the sound of the album. I recommend it, and I’m glad my secret Santa did!” – Mackenzie

*gifted by Nicole

circle the drain – Soccer Mommy

“I was gifted the song “Circle The Drain” by Soccer Mommy for APU’s secret Santa! This song, first and foremost, is a fun throwback to me. It sounds like it’s from the early 2000’s, and even has a music video promoting that narrative! Between the singers voice and the soft indie sound, I became an instant fan. Definitely one of my favorite tracks sent to me over the years!” – John

*gifted by Ian

Whether we loved our gifted songs or weren’t the biggest fans, we all had a lot of fun putting this together. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! What song would you gift to someone in a Secret Santa?