Above image via Spotify: Some Kind of Nightmare
Giovanni Mori | Posted April 2nd, 2025
Even since its birth in the 70s, punk rock never intended to become something more than seemingly talentless musicians expressing their emotions with unbearably loud music. It may not be appealing on the surface, but the attitude behind it all is the reason why songs like “American Idiot” from Green Day, “I Fought The Law” from The Clash, and “Bad Reputation” from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts became timeless anthems of angst and rebellion. Whether you’re fed up with the powers that be, or just want to jam out to fast one to two minute songs with three guitar chords, speedy drums, and jarring vocals, punk is the genre for you!
One lesser known song that checks off all the boxes of punk rock is “Germinated” by a trio from San Diego called Some Kind of Nightmare. The track comes from the band’s 2019 album Driven Red, and is their most popular song to date clocking in at over 15,000 streams on Spotify, while the band sits at only over a mighty 200 monthly listeners as of April 2025.
“Germinated” begins with an ear piercing guitar sound and snare drum buildup, riling up listeners to punch holes in their walls, when all of a sudden, they’re hit with a ton of bricks as the drums explode into cymbal crashes and the full band kicks it into maximum overdrive. As the verses dial themselves back to a more percussive feel, the song seems to constantly shift its intensity from easygoing toe tapping to full blown mosh pit destruction. The listener should quickly feel this change when being taken to a very bouncy sounding pre chorus, propelling a new wave of high energy where each chord isn’t given any room to breathe, but instead dashes its way through an aggressive 90s skate punk sound, reminiscent of bands like The Offspring and NOFX. The intensity is then cranked up to eleven by the time we reach the chorus section, which is almost guaranteed to throw you around your room as the band’s co vocalists fiercely shout the song’s hook: “We grow! We survive! Germinated!” (0:37 – 0:54).
“Germinated” has a mostly repetitive song structure before the bridge section, taking us back to the same chords from the chorus, but also giving us a different and calming flavor in its rhythm, which is almost funk sounding as each note pops out at you. This brings the energy down just enough to keep you engaged, continuing to give you small bursts of energy in waves before an eruptive third and final chorus to finish the job.
In their long career, Some Kind of Nightmare produced two extended plays and three albums, all of which, speaking as a regular listener, successfully capture the rebellious and anger fueled nature of punk music. Listen to “Germinated” below before deep diving into the band’s discography!
Youtube: Some Kind of Nightmare – Topic
Sources
“Germinated” Youtube, uploaded by Some Kind of Nightmare – Topic, 17 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3IqQCBxHLk
Some Kind of Nightmare. “Germinated” Driven Red, Some Kind of Nightmare, 2019. Spotify app.
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