Sum 41 on the resurgence of pop-punk: “It’s a wild and surreal thing to go through”

nme.com:

Sum 41 have spoken to NME about the recent resurgence of pop-punk, and discussed how it was a “wild and surreal” thing for them to experience as a band.The topic arose when the band spoke to NME ahead of their massive set at Mad Cool Festival 2024 in Madrid.

It took place following the release of ‘Heaven :x: Hell’ – which marks Sum 41’s final-ever album – and ahead of their farewell tour dates across Europe and the UK later this year.During the interview, the band were asked about the huge rise in popularity of pop-punk music seen over the past couple of years, and told us about how it felt to embark on these huge tour dates as the genre reaches new heights.“Being lucky enough to have any sort of relevance that allows you to see the rise and fall and the rise again of whatever genre you’ve been placed into… it’s a pretty crazy compliment and a really wild and surreal thing to go through,” guitarist Dave Baksh said.“Especially because I think we don’t take ourselves too seriously, so as far as watching all this and seeing younger bands saying like: ‘I grew up on your music’, it’s a wild experience.

To put it into words is really hard.”Bassist Jason “Cone” McCaslin, continued, recalling how them sharing their final album during this time was purely coincidental as the bands had no say in the new surge in interest.A post shared by NME (@nmemagazine)“It’s funny because I don’t think it’s from anything the bands have done to bring the genre back,” he said. “The bands have always been there – we didn’t really go anywhere, Blink [182] has never gone anywhere, Green Day has never gone anywhere.“So it’s based on whatever people are into!