Bouncing Souls

The Bouncing Souls formed in New Jersey in the late 1980s and became closely identified with the Asbury Park punk scene. The band is Greg Attonito on vocals, Pete Steinkopf on guitar, Bryan Kienlen on bass and George Rebelo on drums, and has released a long run of albums for Epitaph and its own Chunksaah label.

Their songs tend to be short, melodic and built around singalong choruses, with lyrics about friendship, touring and getting older that have kept the same audience returning across decades. Songwriting is shared across the band rather than led by one member, with each of the four contributing ideas that shape the finished songs.

They remain a steady touring act and have long run their own annual hometown shows. Their newest album, Born To Be, was produced by Will Yip and deals with grief, disillusionment and the effort of staying connected to other people, themes carried by songs like the album opener, 'The Light.'

Bryan Kienlen's comic-style artwork has been part of the band's visual identity since its earliest releases, and the cover of Born To Be continues that tradition with a solar-eclipse image tied to the album's themes of light obscured rather than gone.