Broadside

Richmond, Virginia pop-punk outfit Broadside crafts aggressive yet upbeat songs packed with catchy melodies and lyrics that capture ordinary frustrations through a blend of wit and genuine feeling. Their debut full-length, Old Bones from 2015, channeled the band’s high-energy punk origins, whereas Paradise in 2017 adopted a sleeker sound and more introspective writing; Into the Raging Sea from 2020 shifted toward a weightier, theatrical tone, and Hotel Bleu in 2023 leaned further into pop and electronic textures.

Broadside originated in 2010 when vocalist Bryant Leary, guitarist Jade Estrella, bassist Josh Glupker, and drummer Andrew Dunton came together. The quartet issued its first EP, Far from Home, independently in 2011. After reworking the material and adding more songs, they put out an album also titled Far from Home in 2012 via the Japanese indie imprint Ice Grill$ Records. In 2013 Bryant Leary and Jade Estrella departed, prompting the addition of vocalist Ollie Baxxter and guitarist Niles Gibbs. The revamped lineup then inked a deal with Victory Records, whose first release from the group was the 2015 album Old Bones; one track, “Coffee Talk,” amassed more than 14 million streams across major platforms. By then Broadside had expanded to a quintet, with guitarist and singer Dorian Enrique Cooke rounding out the lineup alongside Baxxter, Gibbs, Glupker, and Dunton. Later that year Glupker exited and bassist Pat Diaz stepped in.

During 2017 the band recorded its next album, Paradise, with producer Kyle Black (New Found Glory, All Time Low). The set reached number 17 on the Independent Albums chart. Colin Schwanke handled drums on the sessions, after which Jeff Nichols became the permanent drummer in place of Andrew Dunton. Two additional tracks from the record—“I Love You, I Love You, It’s Disgusting” and the title song—each surpassed five million streams. A lengthy hiatus ensued once Victory Records was sold, leaving the band label-shopping; Niles Gibbs and Dorian Enrique Cooke also departed, leaving Domenic Reid as the lone guitarist. On March 20, 2020 Broadside ended the silence by unveiling the single “Foolish Believer” and announcing their new home at SharpTone Records. Their fourth studio album, Into the Raging Sea, arrived that July. Hotel Bleu followed on the same label in November 2023. The group framed the title as a metaphor for entering an altered mental space, akin to checking into a hotel room and reemerging into everyday reality the following morning. While foregrounding pop and electronic structures, the record preserved the vitality of the band’s earliest material.