Detroit, MI · pop-punk · emo

Fireworks

1 upcoming festival

Detroit pop-punk with more literary ambition than the genre usually allows — scene-beloved records that read as well as they shout.

Fireworks came out of the Detroit area and released their records through Triple Crown, becoming one of the more thoughtful bands in the late-2000s pop-punk revival. Fronted by David Mackinder, they paired the genre's usual speed and vocal hooks with lyrics that were wordier and more introspective than the form typically invites, working through faith, doubt and small-town restlessness rather than the standard complaints.

Gospel, released in 2011, is generally treated as the point where that ambition paid off, and Oh, Common Life followed in 2014 with a slightly broader and more melodic palette. The band has spent stretches inactive since, returning periodically for shows.

pop-punkemo