Meet 5 new acts shaping Canadian pop-punk right now

Over the last 20-plus years, Canada has produced more than a few heavy hitters in the pop-punk scene. 

From skate-punk quintet Sum 41, to certified pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne, to Simple Plan — the band that spoke to every angsty teenager's parental issues with its anthem "Perfect" — Canadian artists were instrumental in helping pop punk go mainstream in the 2000s. 

Last year, Sum 41 announced a breakup and a farewell tour, signalling the end of a generation. But what does the next iteration of Canadian pop-punk look like? Here are five artists who are keeping the scene alive.

Arm's Length

Hailing from Quinte West, Ont., Arm's Length found underground success with its 2019 and 2021 EPs — What's Mine Is Yours and Everything Nice, respectively — but it wasn't until the release of its 2022 debut album, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, that the band really found its footing. Arm's Length manages to accomplish a rare feat in emo and pop punk: capturing the feeling of nostalgia without resorting to clichés. 

The band is able to invoke a sense of déjà vu that has you asking, "Have I heard this before?" when you know you haven't. The sincerity of lyrics like, "I'm breaking bones/ and you're signing my cast/ that's exactly how you'll wind up dead," from album opener "Overture," carries throughout the entire 11-song tracklist. They replicate the conflicts of young adulthood and burgeoning romantic relationships without getting too deep into self-deprecation.

Despite the lyrical density of Arm's Length's discography, the band's music is surprisingly easy to listen to (though potentially difficult to remember for live shows). The next time you have some unresolved trauma to work through, pop on some Arm's Length and go for a walk. 

Recommended songs: "Object Permanence," "Tough Love," "Garamond."

Chief State

Vancouver-based transcontinental pop-punk band Chief State has been tearing up the local scene for more than a few years now. 

Signed to Mutant League, the band has put out two albums, and two EPs in the last six years. Heavy on the drums and catchy guitar riffs, it's clear that Chief State was inspired by bands like Sum 41 and Blink-182. But unlike those predecessors, lead singer Fraser Simpson isn't singing about butts, sex and being staunchly anti-establishment. 

Chief State's latest album, 2022's Waiting for Your Colours, can be described by one word: longing. Whether that's longing for someone to come back, or longing to leave somewhere, it's a theme that the band has mastered. But don't let the heavy subject matter get you down: Chief State goes hard enough that you'll be ready to mosh and crowd surf by the time the first few bars are done. Given how sonically cohesive their music has always sounded, Chief State is poised to be the next big pop-punk act to break out of Canada.

Recommended songs: "Team Wiped," "Metaphors," "Deciduous."

Lølø

Pop punk continues to be a male-dominated genre, but there are plenty of women who are killing it.

Lølø built an audience on TikTok and YouTube during the pandemic, cleverly reimagining songs from the perspective of a secondary character. She covered "Betty" by Taylor Swift, switching it to Betty's perspective, and Adele's "Someone Like You" from the perspective of the long-lost lover. After releasing her debut EP, Sweater Collection, independently in 2019, Lølø signed to Hopeless Records in 2021 and dropped two more EPs: 2021's Overkill and 2022's Debbie Downer. 

Lølø's music is bratty, but in the best way. She writes about breakups, depression and toxic exes in a way that screams, "See if I care!" Present throughout her writing is a nonchalant attitude that calls back to Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing era. Her catalogue is the furthest thing from being pretentious, and the lyrics on "Lonely & Pathetic" prove it: "Maybe I'm a weirdo, train wreck, nightmare/ heartbreak poster child/ pick me up from daycare."

Even though she hasn't released a full-length album yet, Lølø has toured with big names including New Found Glory, Simple Plan, Less Than Jake and Mayday Parade, cementing her status in the industry.

Pop-punk artists left and right are constantly trying to escape the genre's childish reputation, which makes it all the more refreshing to see an artist like Lølø not take herself too seriously.

Recommended songs: "Death Wish," "Debbie Downer" by Lølø and Maggie Lindemann, "Lonely & Pathetic." 

Calling All Captains

Coming out of Edmonton, Calling All Captains manages to conjure the same ennui as many of the band's emo peers from the American Midwest, fleshed out with a healthy dose of Warped Tour-style poppy post-hardcore.

While the band's lineup has shifted over the years, its ability to write heavy tunes that get right at the heart of the human condition remains unchanged. Love, loss, joy and betrayal are all captured effortlessly by frontman Luc Gauthier's distinctive growl.

Calling All Captains' 2021 debut album, Slowly Getting Better, perfectly showcases the band's punk roots and penchant for anthemic choruses. Mid-album banger "Loving Cup" encapsulates the record's themes: the pain that drives people to seek comfort in the worst of places, and the sometimes impossible task of mending what has been broken.

The band's talent and ambitions are best exemplified in the 2020 mini-documentary the bandmates created in collaboration with fellow Edmonton locals Guerilla Motion Pictures, about the time Calling All Captains opened for pop-punk legends the Offspring. It's a professional and heartwarming effort that clearly dictates one thing: Calling All Captains has its eyes set on greatness, and won't settle for anything less.

Recommended songs: "Collapse," "Fool's Gold," "Disconnected."

Youth Fountain

A fixture of the Vancouver pop-punk scene, Tyler Zanon has long been writing heart-wrenching and introspective music for a generation that's chronically online and lonely, first under the name Bedroom Talk, a project that evolved into Youth Fountain after signing to notable pop-punk label Pure Noise Records.

Since 2018, Youth Fountain has released three EPs (including two acoustic) and three full-length albums. His discography combines absurdly catchy riffs and fast-paced rhythms with brutally honest poems about trauma and loss, helping Zanon not only hold his own in a genre that already deals with such heavy topics, but also easily fit into a greater cultural conversation around mental health and self-care.

Despite having been a one-man act for most of his career, Zanon has quickly made an impact in the scene, cultivating a dedicated and loyal fanbase that's only growing stronger. Most recently, he's gone on to tour with legacy acts such as Story of the Year and We the Kings. On his most recent effort, 2023's Together in Lonesome, he continues the streak of well-crafted songs and hard-hitting lyricism. If you're looking for music to sob to during a late night in your car, look no further.

Recommended songs: "Complacent," "Century," "Identical Days."