Friday Punk Protest: The Weekly Recap
- Jade McLeod
- Jan 30
- 2 min read
This week’s new music does not just soundtrack the moment, it reacts to it. It is political, seductive, soft, angry, and honest, sometimes all at once. From protest anthems to quiet confessions, this is a week that proves pop and alternative music still have something to say.
Waterparks come out swinging with ICE, and it feels like the true essence of punk in 2026. Loud, confrontational, and deliberately uncomfortable, the track is a direct diss aimed at ICE and Trump-era politics, wrapped in satire, rage, and chaotic pop-punk energy. This is punk as protest, not nostalgia. It is not about aesthetics or safety, it is about saying something and MEANING IT!! Waterparks are not trying to be agreeable here. They are daring you to listen, react, and sit with the discomfort. That is exactly what punk is supposed to do.
Louis Tomlinson’s Jump The Gun pulls the energy inward. Where Waterparks shout, Louis reflects. The track is gentle, patient, and emotionally grounded, built on restraint rather than urgency. It feels like a quiet conversation with yourself, the kind you have when you are learning not to rush your healing or your future. There is confidence in its softness and a trust that stillness can be powerful.
Closer to home, Ali Whitton’s Hopeful Heart offers a moment of warmth and steadiness. It is tender without being saccharine, hopeful without ignoring reality. The song feels like choosing optimism even when it would be easier not to. There is a sincerity here that lingers, making it the kind of track you return to when you need grounding. We are also dropping our interview with Ali tomorrow, where we dig into his creative process, songwriting, and the emotional landscape behind his work.
Joji’s Last of a Dying Breed brings the mood back into the shadows. Atmospheric, heavy with feeling, and emotionally distant in that signature Joji way, the track feels like late-night thoughts you never quite say out loud. It is melancholic without being dramatic, isolating without being empty, and rewards sitting with it.
Then there is Dove Cameron’s seductive take on Do I Wanna Know?, which completely reshapes the Arctic Monkeys classic. Where the original simmered with frustration, Dove leans into desire. Her version is slow, intimate, and magnetic, built on tension and restraint. It feels less like questioning and more like knowing, a reminder that covers can be transformative when an artist claims the song as their own.
Thirty Seconds To Mars return with God’s Eye , delivering something big, cinematic, and unmistakably theirs. It is dramatic, expansive, and built for impact, blending emotion with scale in a way that feels designed for large rooms and loud speakers. Love it or question it, the ambition is undeniable.
Rounding out the week is Noah Kahan's The Great Divide, whose presence continues to feel essential rather than excessive. His music remains a soundtrack for emotional clarity and quiet processing, for moments where you are not falling apart but you are not fine either. It is honest, human, and deeply relatable, which is exactly why it sticks.
This week proves that music can still provoke, seduce, soothe, and challenge all in one playlist. We will be back tomorrow with our Ali Whitton interview. Until then, keep your headphones on!
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