I was wrapping up middle school during the hey day of the Long Island emo scene. My friends and I would thread studded belts from Hot Topic through our denim skirts, rock a local band tee and head to a grungy now-defunct venue called The Downtown. We'd wiggle our way to the front of a tiny room and see Long Island-based bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New and pretend like we were their little sisters or cousins. For a 13-year-old, this was literally the coolest thing on the planet. A decade later, I somehow found my way back to these pop-punk songs, and was horrified yet impressed by the fact that I still know the lyrics to all of them. A few of them still make me want to kiss someone. Most of them are pretty bad. But they all make me feel young and cool all over again.
-Jess Goodman, former Editor-in-Chief of 34th Street
http://open.spotify.com/user/marley_brennan/playlist/7CqeH3USK7f6CXXzm0txqy
