Handguns

Originally hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Handguns blend the emotional earnestness of emo with upbeat pop-punk melodies. Along with bands like the Wonder Years and the Menzingers, Handguns are part of a wave of emotionally nuanced Rust Belt punk bands that have tempered pop-punk's saccharine qualities with rawness and sincerity. Handguns self-released a series of EPs — their 2008 Demo, 2009's MMIX EP, and 2010's Anywhere But Home — before signing on with Pure Noise Records, which released their fourth EP, Don't Bite Your Tongue, in 2011. Angst, Handguns' full-length debut, arrived on the label in 2012. Throughout this time, Handguns underwent a constant series of membership changes — enough, in fact, that the band no longer has any of its founding members currently active. Currently, Handguns' lineup consists of singer Taylor Eby, guitarists Brandon Pagano and Kyle Vaught, bassist CJ Wilson, and drummer Ryan Pyle, all of whom appeared on the band's sophomore effort, Life Lessons, in 2014.