Handguns

Emerging from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Handguns fuse emo's emotional earnestness with the bright melodies of pop-punk. Alongside the Wonder Years and the Menzingers, the group belongs to a wave of Rust Belt punk acts whose raw sincerity has softened the genre's overly sweet tendencies. Before joining Pure Noise Records, Handguns issued three self-released EPs: the 2008 Demo, the MMIX EP in 2009, and 2010's Anywhere But Home. The label then put out the band's fourth EP, Don't Bite Your Tongue, in 2011, followed by the full-length debut Angst in 2012. Persistent lineup shifts have continued throughout the years, leaving none of the original members in the current roster. Singer Taylor Eby, guitarists Brandon Pagano and Kyle Vaught, bassist CJ Wilson, and drummer Ryan Pyle now make up the band, and all five played on the 2014 sophomore album Life Lessons.