That's why what I said on the YouTube stream the other day is the truth. That "new punk" breaking through the atmosphere of its time was once envy, for my generation it was killie, and for today's generation, it might just be moreru or Butter Sugar Toast.
At THE ARGUMENT events, those early pioneers now show an expression heavy with the weight of the history they’ve built over so many years. It’s no longer that "new punk," but it carries a different kind of meaning.
Someone inspiring someone else—the act of passing that chain, that family tree, down to the next generation is of a completely different quality than meaningless metrics like show attendance, sales figures, or streaming counts.
“I remember getting the record, getting the tape… I put the record on first, and I went, oh God, this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Everybody wanted to be fucking Fugazi, all those fucking emo kids. There was no punk rockers anymore, it seemed like to me. And I’m like, this is a fucking reaction to that, this is saying fuck you to all that, this is fucking real.”
These were interesting quotes I found in a Rancid interview.
Up until recently, I had been listening to Rancid quite a bit. Their music is such a feel-good, refreshing kind of punk rock—it has an overwhelming sense of breakthrough intensity even when compared to other punk bands of the same era.
But learning that they were conscious of Fugazi made me understand why they chose to break through with that specific style. In an era where everyone was imitating someone else, they asked themselves what kind of music they truly loved and returned to 70s punk. To think that Fugazi had such an indirect influence on them!
While Rancid's "...And Out Come the Wolves" is undoubtedly a masterpiece, "Life Won't Wait", the album that followed, is especially worth noting.
In every era, there are bands that break through the atmosphere of their time, and I feel that same element even in past emoviolence or today's skramz. Everything is just so boring. That's why I'll always be drawn to music that embodies the ideas, action, and passion needed to shatter that stagnant atmosphere.
https://t.co/kU5bKm8ReE
Butter Sugar Toast - Live at O-EAST | THE ARGUMENT 2026
https://t.co/Q3VZxcM78n
Filmed and Recorded by
Yoshiyuki Shiraiwa @yoshiraiwa
Katoman @katomandlc
Aoi
Akihito @3LA_Disc