KennyHoopla dives gracefully into the pop punk world with new single “Estella”
By: Ryan O'Connor
Tags: New Music, Review, Punk, Indie, Music

KennyHoopla dives gracefully into the pop punk world with new single “Estella”

The Wisconsin artists new single brings a fresh new voice and energy into pop punk, teaming up with Blink-182’s Travis Barker

KennyHoopla’s gigantic ambitions have really come to fruition this year. After releasing a couple singles, including his smash hit “how can i rest in peace if i’m buried by a highway?//” and his EP of the same name he’s utilized this quiet year for music to shout his moody and electrifying music into the internet’s memory. His EP and it’s self titled single have helped propel him into the forefront of the alternative scene just this spring. His videos for his singles have amassed millions of views along with the live performances of the title track and “plastic door//” (my personal favorite by the artist) both garnering attention. KennyHoopla seems primed to become a staple in the alternative scene with his charm, creativity and eagerness to avoid categorization.

The new single by KennyHoopla out this week sees the artist once again toying with a whole new sound and, dare I say, a new genre. While Kenny’s music beforehand has blended the moody shoegaze guitars with hip-hop and electronic to create an energetic and introspective sound that is all his own, Kenny’s new single “Estella” brings the artist fully into the familiar pop punk soundwave.

That’s not saying the artist is taking a step back however, rather Kenny is utilizing this time to approach a genre he has not dipped his feet in and exploding out with a bombastic and highly infectious pop punk rager. The artists spotlight shows on this track as it features production and drum work from Blink-182’s Travis Barker, and his work brings Kenny’s lyricism and vocals higher than they ever soared before.

Pop punk has seen a lot of ups and downs over the last 20 years. With Warped Tour coming and going and giving the genre a humongous platform to grow it fell once again into stagnation by the late 2010s as bands such as The Story So Far and State Champs were releasing the same record each year and making fans bored. Pop punk seems to be chasing its tail these days looking for new ways to expand its ever growing reach. The expansion it needed has come in the most unexpected ways this year with hip-hop artists citing their affinity for the genre.

Emo rap has been on the rise in the last couple years since Lil Peep’s death and with that has come artists embracing the “emo” music of the 2000s and even incorporating it into their own albums. Machine Gun Kelly most recently released his long awaited pop punk album Tickets To My Downfall in September and in a way the album confirms the suspicion that hip-hop can mix with any genre if put in the correct artists hands.

KennyHoopla continues that movement with his new single “Estella” boasting the loud and bouncy riffs that have become trademarked within the pop punk circle. This single is the sound of an artist giving himself a chance to try new things and he does so with a particular energy that the pop punk scene itself needs in order to stay afloat. When shows finally come back after the quarantine I hope to be able to see the transition of Kenny playing his softer and moodier tracks before killing the mellow and blasting off into this energetic and lively track. It would be interesting to see how the crowd would react to such a change in tone.

What Kenny’s new single does is provide himself a wider range of genres, sounds and techniques to open himself to which has always been where his potential lies and now we get to see this in action with a drastically new sound. Before he had dwelled within the indie rock underground mixing hip-hop and electronic beats with guitars and the result was a mix of up and down moods, all superb. Here he brings a newer, cleaner and downright ass-kicking song with soul in its lyrics (his bread and butter). “Estella” truly establishes Hoopla as a useful voice in the alternative scene, you need vocals on a slow-paced dirge-influenced indie song? Kenny’s your boy. You need a feature for your next pop punk anthem? Give Kenny a call, he’ll deliver the goods.

2020 has not been anyone’s year, it’s been a stagnant time for a majority of major artists but it has inspired hardworking underground artists, rooted in the present, to rise up and make their music known since the platform is wide open. KennyHoopla is an artist who has taken advantage of this years stagnation and as we close out the year he seems to be making bigger moves than a lot of major artists in his field. He’s shown us that he can collaborate with a lot of talented artists and he’s stretched himself across a wide range of musical styles while blending them with his own sound. We’re in the last days of 2020 and who knows what next year will bring not only in popular music but the world, it will be interesting to see where the Midwestern artist will jump to next in his daring climb to stardom.