Long Live KennyHoopla, Travis Barker, and Pop Punk!

image

From its rapturous hooks, scream-along choruses, and general disregard for societal norms, pop-punk, and punk in general, is a genre built around catharsis. And few today seem to understand that essential element of catharsis as well as Wisconsin punk wunderkind KennyHoopla. First cementing himself as a necessary fixture of the alternative scene with 2020's how will i rest in peace if i'm buried by the highway?//, his highly-anticipated follow-up feels like a necessary rite of passage.

Survivor's Guilt: The Mixtape// sees KennyHoopla releasing a joint mixtape with none other Travis Barker, the famed Blink-182 drummer and modern-day pop-punk crusader. Throughout the mixtape's eight-track run, Barker's consistent drum beats and infectious fills are unmistakable, providing an impassioned pulse for his Wisconsin protégé's musings on life-shattering revelations and tongue-in-cheek observations. It is a match made in heaven that signals itself from the very first moments of the opening track "silence is also an answer//," as a disembodied KennyHoopla whispers "Can you hear me now?" before Barker launches into a thunderous response.

Previously-released standouts like the lovelorn "estella/" and adrenaline-charged "hollywood sucks//" make their appearance on Survivor's Guilt: The Mixtape// but only begin to scratch the surface of KennyHoopla's pop-punk depth. Experimenting with bursts of screamo, launching into anthemic, macabre reflections, and even touching upon the past year with a sardonic wit, Survivor's Guilt: The Mixtape// is a veritable sonic playground for KennyHoopla.

As the relatively laidback "9-5 (love me)//" closes out the KennyHoopla and Barker's tour de force, we are left not with just one of the contenders for projects of the year or reaffirmation of pop-punk's new wave. We are left with KennyHoopla, living proof that punk will never die, only change shape.

Listen to Survivor's Guilt: The Mixtape// below:

Related Articles

Balu Brigada's 'Portal' Is An Artfully Alternative Debut

Balu Brigada's 'Portal' Is An Artfully Alternative Debut

September 3, 2025 Balu Brigada is alt pop’s best kept secret, and there’s no question that their debut album Portal, is the gift that we’ve been waiting for.
Author: Hillary Safadi
"IT'S HARD (to be a Man)" But It's Easy to Love MARIS

"IT'S HARD (to be a Man)" But It's Easy to Love MARIS

September 1, 2025 A bold narrative that uses both humor and sarcasm, this song tackles the heaviness MARIS was feeling during a brief stint as a sex worker.
Author: Chancey Stefanos
pop
Cathartically Rageful, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers Are on Fire With "Mother"

Cathartically Rageful, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers Are on Fire With "Mother"

September 1, 2025 The single comes alongside the announcement of their second full-length studio album, 'GLORY,' which is slated to drop on November 7.
Author: Alessandra Rincon
pop