Knuckle Puck

Knuckle Puck came together in the Chicago suburbs, with vocalist Joe Taylor, guitarist Kevin Maida and drummer John Siorek covering songs before rhythm guitarist Nick Casasanto joined and the group began writing original material in 2011; bassist Ryan Rumchaks came aboard later. Their name was borrowed from a Stick to Your Guns t-shirt reading "Knuckle Puck Crew".

The band built its early following through a run of EPs, including While I Stay Secluded, which reached number 5 on the Heatseekers chart in 2014, and a split EP with UK band Neck Deep the same year. They signed to Rise Records in 2014, a deal that led to their debut full-length.

Their sound leans on layered guitar melodies and rough-edged group vocals, with a heavier debt to late-2000s emo than many peers on the same circuit, and lyrics that favour self-examination over nostalgia. This carried through their debut album Copacetic in 2015, Shapeshifter in 2017 and 20/20 in 2020.

In 2022 the band signed to Pure Noise Records, releasing the single "Groundhog Day" ahead of their fourth album, Losing What We Love, in 2023. Across more than a decade, Knuckle Puck has toured widely within the American pop-punk and emo scene.