Bonfire Management

In February of 2015, we premiered a two-song EP from a very promising pop punk band out of the Philadelphia suburbs. Now, a year and half later, Bystander are shedding their skin and strengthening in ways they couldn’t have possibly imagined with their brand new EP, titled Hesitate. Like any band in a hot-button genre these days, Bystander swam through the ever-suffocating muck of a genre that appears to be tiring itself out and came out differently. With this new EP in tow, the band are able to break out of whatever niche they may have either fallen into or skated by–their fate would be a subjective, “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure”-style one–in the past. Gone are the days of gang-vocal catharsis, as slim-to-none as they may have been before; this is a pop punk band with a purpose, and they’re growing in all the right directions.

We at MEB are honored to be premiering Hesitate today, in its entirety, and you can stream all five of its tracks below. - Mind Equals Blown

Philadelphia alternative punk newcomers Bystander may have tendencies of separation (thanks a lot, college), but that’s merely a speed bump on their road towards making one of the most interesting punk releases so far this year. Safe & Sound is a two-song feat that was created on dormitory floors and desks and is something that sounds like the lovechild between Hidden in Plain View and Have Mercy, complete with a sense of longing and underlying maturity. Mind Equals Blown is excited to premiere the brand new EP from Bystander right here before it hits major digital outlets tomorrow. Check out Safe & Sound below: - Mind Equals Blown