Hopeful pop punk is back with Riot Collective’s “Don’t Count Me Out”

Date:

Cover Art for Riot Collective’s “Don’t Count Me Out”.

Dig up those black skinny jeans and eyeliner from high school because Riot Collective are introducing a blend of modern indie rock guitars with a raspy emo vocal in new single, “Don’t Count Me Out”.

Developed in 2023 after playing guitar and bass for a series of other musical projects, Brett of Riot Collective desired a new way of bending through rock genres. The project’s name represents their continued appreciation for collaboration, especially evident in their previous releases. They note the importance of unifying a collective of strengths in seeing through their work as opposed to working alone.

While their debut EP, Instrumentals, Vol. 1, released in May of 2024, reflects this sentiment with the feature of Hereafter and the collaboration with Quinn S., “Don’t Count Me Out” carries on such a philosophy: the pandemic offered the artist an opportunity to utilize the digital sphere to reach out to The Dangerous Summer’s AJ Perdomo to collaborate on both singing and songwriting for this track.

“Don’t Count Me Out” shines for its powerful vocals layered on top of a softer touch on the typical electric guitar choices found in the pop punk or emo scene. This new convention of sound is what makes this project stand out. While their previous work focuses primarily on instrumentals, this new song’s inclusion of an overlay of vocals exemplifies Riot Collective’s capacity to dive into storytelling from both an instrumental and lyrical perspective. Riot Collective have commented on the song’s meaning, touching on self-doubt and exceeding odds. The hopeful message stems from finding one’s ability to move past doubt and recognize their abilities, with a powerful chorus highlighting “I’m on my way back again / And this is a warning to myself / Don’t count me out yet / I want to see it through to the end.”

Riot Collective is approaching early aughts nostalgia with a modern twist in this new single, catering to pop punk enthusiasts and rock lovers alike. Fans of bands such as Grayscale, The Dangerous Summer, and Movements will love this new take on the emo structure.

FOLLOW RIOT COLLECTIVE: Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube
FOLLOW AJ PERDOMO: Instagram // Spotify // Apple Music

Kelly Carciente
Kelly Carcientehttp://linktr.ee/kellycarcie
Somewhere at the intersection between my love for music and my love for writing lies my passion for music journalism. While the title still seems silly, the ability to capture an artist's creation and share it with the world will never cease to excite me. As a psychology student, I continue to be fascinated with the underlying mechanisms of the human condition. What better way to understand the human mind if not through a person's art?

Leave a Reply

Share post:

More from Author

More like this
Related

Lemonade Baby teases future album with new single “Yeah Yeah Yeah (Lifestyle)”

Australian artist Lemonade Baby introduces his newest single “Yeah...

Ava Petrillo is grieving a friendship in “ATLANTA”

Up-and-coming contemporary indie pop singer-songwriter Ava Petrillo is wearing...

On Your Radar: Taipei Houston

Top Tracks: "As the Sun Sets," "The Middle," "Respecter" Similar...

sunsetto delivers standout track, “CROSSFIRE,” from debut pop album

On Oct. 4, Canadian producer sunsetto released his debut...