4. HIGH DIVE, New Teeth [Quote Unquote]
This year marked a stellar 12 months for affiliated and loosely-affiliated Quote Unquote Records bands. Jeff Rosenstock’s We Cool? and Antarctigo Vespucci’s Leavin’ La Vida Loca both would’ve wound up on a top 20 of 2015, but limited as I am, let’s spotlight Hive Dive’s oft-overlooked sophomore batch of 10-or-more tracks. I’d point to the pop-punk flawlessness of “Coffee and Ice Water” as my song of the year, if anyone asked me to pick a song of the year. Overall, it seems weirdly appropriate that the best Defiance, Ohio record in years would be recorded by a Defiance, Ohio spinoff band instead of Defiance, Ohio. Then again, for all I know, only 17 people live in Bloomington, Indiana, and they all play music together in DIY vegan pop-punk bands that sound like Defiance, Ohio.